Illustrative image. (the Israeli Defense Forces)
Suspected Israeli strikes targeted a large base in the western Syria governorate of Hamas on May 3 amid rising tensions between the two countries.
Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen reported that three strikes hit the 47th Brigade base in the southern Hama countryside. Video footage posted to social networks showed a large secondary explosion at the base, most likely caused by the detonation of stored ammunition.
There were no reports of casualties, although some Syrian sources said that foreign fighters were present at the base at the time of the strikes.
Tensions have been rising between Israel and Syria since the last government forces launched an attack on Druze-majority areas near the capital, Damascus, earlier in the week. Israel vowed to defend the religious minority, citing its historic relations with its own Druze community.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched several warning strikes during the sectarian clashes, which reportedly claimed the lives of around 100 people. The military went on to strike the vicinity of the presidential palace near Damascus early on May 2, in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz called “a clear message to the Syrian regime.”
Overnight, the IDF escalated again, attacking dozens of targets across Syria, in what the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described as the “heaviest” attack by Israel this year. One civilian was killed at the town of Harasta near Damascus, and four people were wounded in the town of Shathah in the countryside of Hama, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency.
In addition to the strikes, Israel in recent days took in 21 Syrian Druze who were apparently wounded in the clashes there, including five more overnight.
Israel’s Army Radio also reported, citing sources with knowledge on the matter, that Israeli Air Force helicopters ferried unspecified equipment and humanitarian aid to the southeastern governorate of al-Suwayda, the heartland of Syrian Druze, some 70 kilometers away from Israel.
Syrian media reported that an Israeli helicopter had landed al-Suwayda overnight, but reportedly to pick up the five wounded Druze who were brought to Ziv Hospital in Safed.
Despite Israel’s support, Druze leaders have already affirmed their loyalty to Damascus. The government also claims that an agreement with the community on the situation in al-Suwayda was reached. Nevertheless, tensions appear to be growing.
Currently, all roads leading to al-Suwayda are blocked by government forces. The governorate, which is controlled by several Druze armed factions, is under de-facto siege.
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