Israel conducts air strikes against Syria’s key military sites

Israeli forces have launched extensive air strikes across Syria, targeting key military sites.  

On December 9, 2024, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that this most recent attack is among the largest to take place in Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. Within a span of less than 12 hours, Israel targeted more than 100 locations across the nation, Rami Abdel-Rahman, Head of the SOHR agency, told Germany’s dpa news agency. 

According to the Times of Israel, the strikes targeted multiple locations, including the Qamishli air base in northeast Syria, the Shinshar base in Homs, and Aqaba Airport (AQJ) southwest of the capital Damascus. Additional strikes were aimed at a research facility on the outskirts of Damascus and an electronic warfare center close to the Sayeda Zainab area. 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar confirmed during a media briefing on December 9, 2024, that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had struck chemical weapons sites in Syria. According to Sa’ar, the only purpose of these attacks is to ensure the security of Israel and its citizens. 

“That’s why we attacked strategic weapons systems, like for example, remaining chemical weapons,” Sa’ar said, adding that the strikes were carried out to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into “the hands of extremists”. 

The attacks occurred after Islamist rebels from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is classed as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, deposed former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024, ending the Assad family’s 50-year rule.  

Alongside the Israeli airstrikes, the United States announced it is “working with several other countries in the Middle East” to prevent Syrian terrorist organizations from taking control of the former Assad regime’s stockpiles of chemical weapons. A US official told local reporters that Washington is “taking very prudent measures to ensure that those materials are not available to anyone.” 

Since December 8, 2024, Israel has reportedly conducted around 250 strikes on Syrian military targets. Western intelligence sources suggest that approximately 300 strikes have been conducted on Syrian military sites, according to the Ynetnews. 

The US Central Command also reported having conducted air strikes on ISIL (ISIS) leaders, operatives, and camps in Syria, to prevent the armed group from exploiting the aftermath of al-Assad’s departure from power. The post Israel conducts air strikes against Syria’s key military sites appeared first on AeroTime.

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