Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Over a dozen people were killed in central and southern Syria overnight when the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) unleashed an intense wave of strikes against military sites and clashed with local fighters.
The strikes, which began late on April 2, targeted “remaining military capabilities” at the Hama military airport in the western Hama countryside and the T-4 Air Base in the eastern Homs countryside, according to the IDF, which said in a statement that runways, fuel depots, and radars at the two sites were hit.
The IDF added that the strikes also targeted “military infrastructure” close to the Syrian capital, Damascus, without elaborating.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed that the Barzeh scientific research center, located just outside the capital, was hit by multiple strikes. Some 18 strikes also targeted Hama military airport and three others targeted the T4, according to the London-based monitoring group.
Videos posted to social networks showed large blasts at the targeted sites. Photos from Hama also revealed that several fighter jets were destroyed.
Click to see full-size image. Via Telegram.
The strikes came following reports of Turkish plans to deploy troops at military sites in central Syria. One particular report by the Middle East Eye said that Ankara was preparing to deploy air defenses and combat drones at the T4 and the nearby Palmyra military airport, which were both targeted twice by the IDF last month.
According to the SOHR, at least four people were killed in Hama as a result of the strikes. Syrian activists alleged that three Turkish engineers were among the casualties. However, these claims are yet to be verified.
Amid the strikes, a large force from the IDF advanced from the buffer zone adjacent to the occupied Golan Heights towards the town of Nawa in the western Daraa countryside.
Israeli troops had occupied the buffer zone just hours after the fall of the Assad regime last December as a part of a large-scale operation that also saw the destruction of most of the combat capabilities left behind by the former Syrian military by some 500 strikes.
The advance towards Nawa triggered calls for “Jihad,” with dozens of locals taking up arms and attempting to stop Israeli troops close to the nearby town of Tasil.
The IDF confirmed in a statement released on April 3 morning that local fighters opened fire on Israeli troops operating near Tasil, as they were working to “confiscate weapons and destroy terror infrastructure.”
The troops, of the 474th Golan Regional Brigade, returned fire and “eliminated” several gunmen “on the ground and from the air,” the military said, adding that no soldiers were injured in the exchange, and the operation in the area was completed.
The state-run Syrian Arab News agency later said that nine people were killed in Israeli strikes that targeted the area of Harsh Sad al-Jubailiya between Nawa and Tasil, describing the incident as a “massacre.”
This was the second incident in which IDF troops operating in southern Syria have come under fire since taking over the bufferzone.
The deadly strikes and clashes drew only condemnations from the Syrian interim government, which called the events a “flagrant violation” of the country’s sovereignty.
“In a blatant violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty, Israeli forces launched airstrikes on five locations across the country,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“This unjustified escalation is a deliberate attempt to destabilize Syria and exacerbate the suffering of its people,” it added.
The ministry also acknowledged that the Israeli attack resulted in the “near-total destruction” of Hama military airport, noting that the strikes came as the country is trying to rebuild after 14 years of war and calling it a strategy to “normalize violence within the country.”
From its side, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the strikes on Syria were intended to serve as “a warning for the future.”
“Israel will not allow Syria to become a threat to its communities and security interests,” said Katz.
“If you allow forces hostile to Israel to enter Syria and endanger Israel’s security interests, you will pay a heavy price,” the minister added, addressing Syria’s interim president Ahmed Al-Sharaa by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Joulani.
“The Air Force’s operations yesterday against the T-4 and Hama airports and in the Damascus area are a clear message and a warning for the future: We will not allow the State of Israel’s security to be harmed,” he concluded.
Overall, the deadly strikes were without a doubt meant as a threat to Turkey. Israel appears to be determined to prevent the emergence of a strategic Turkish-Syrian alliance. Any attempt by Ankara to challenge Israel could result in a dangeoruse confrontation, with Damascus ultimately paying the price.
While Turkey had much success before in advancing its interests in Syria, Libya and Iraq, it has never faced any challenge as serious as the once currently posed by Israel.
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