DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Israeli warplanes fired missiles that struck the port of Latakia early on Tuesday, hitting containers and igniting a huge fire, Syrian state media said.
It was a rare attack on the city’s port, a vital facility where much of Syria’s imports are brought into the war-torn country.
Syria’s state media quoted an unnamed military official as saying that several missiles struck the containers area in the port, setting some of them on fire. There were no casualties from the airstrike, according to the official, who gave no further details.
Syrian state TV reported that five explosions were heard in the port. A huge fire erupted in the containers area, and fire engines rushed to the port.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitoring group, said the airstrike hit arms shipments for Iran-backed fighters. It added that the explosions at the facility were very strong and caused heavy material damage.
There was no comment from the Israeli military, which has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria over the course of its 10 year civil war, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.
Some of the strikes in the past had targeted the main airport in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Israel has acknowledged, however, that it targets the bases of Iran-allied militias, such as Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group that has fighters deployed in Syria. It says it attacks arms shipments believed to be bound for the militias.
At a meeting in Jerusalem on Tuesday with the leaders of Cyprus and Greece, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett alluded to Israel’s covert actions against its enemies.
“We’re pushing back on the bad forces of this region, day and night. We won’t stop for one second. This happens almost daily. In the face of destructive forces, we will continue to act, we will be persistent and we will not tire,” he said.
Hezbollah is fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces in the war, which started after a military crackdown on Arab Spring-inspired protests calling for his ouster.
Israel says Iranian presence on its northern frontier is a red line, justifying its strikes on facilities and weapons inside Syria.
EALIER ISRAELI ATTACKS ON SYRIA
Nov 24, 2021
Israeli airstrike on central Syria leaves 2 dead, 7 wounded
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s military said Israeli warplanes attacked army positions in the country’s central region early Wednesday, leaving two civilians dead and seven people wounded — six of them soldiers.
State media quoted an unnamed military official as saying the warplanes fired missiles while flying over the airspace of neighboring Lebanon. State news agency SANA quoted the official as saying that the strike occurred at 1:26 a.m. (2326 GMT).
The official said that Syria’s air defenses shot down most of the missiles, adding that in addition to the casualties there was also some material damage.
A Syrian opposition war monitor said the strikes hit positions housing Syrian fighters loyal to Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, west of the central city of Homs.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes killed four, including two who lost their lives when they were hit by parts of a Syrian surface-to-air missile that fell in the central city of Homs.
There was no comment from the Israeli military.
Israel has staged hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.
Israel has acknowledged, however, that it targets the bases of Iran-allied militias, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah group that has fighters deployed in Syria. It says it attacks arms shipments believed to be bound for the militias.
Hezbollah is fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces in the decade-old civil war.
Israel says Iranian presence on its northern frontier is a red line, justifying its strikes on facilities and weapons inside Syria.
Nov 17, 2021
Syria reports Israel attack south of Damascus, no casualties
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s state-run media said Israel carried out an attack on the country’s south early Wednesday with two missiles targeting an empty house and causing no casualties
The missiles came from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and aimed at the building south of the capital Damascus, the state-run news agency SANA said. It said Syria’s defense systems intercepted one of the incoming missiles. The attack caused no losses, the agency said.
Israel carries out raids on Syria mostly during nighttime. Wednesday’s raid occurred shortly after midnight, SANA said.
Israel has staged hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.
Israel has acknowledged, however, that it is targeting bases of Iran-allied militias, such as the powerful Lebanese militant Hezbollah group. It says it is going after posts and arms shipments believed to be bound for the groups. Hezbollah is fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces in the decade-old civil war.
Israel says Iranian presence on its northern frontier is a red line, justifying its strikes on facilities and weapons inside Syria.
Nov 3, 2021
Syria reports Israel air raid on military post near Damascus
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Syria’s military said Israel has carried out an air raid that hit a military post on the outskirts of the capital of Damascus early Wednesday, causing material damage.
It was the second Israeli attack to target areas near the capital in four days. The earlier attack on Saturday activated Syrian defense when missiles were fired during the day toward suburbs of Damascus, wounding two soldiers.
A Syrian military statement carried on state media said the aerial attack early Wednesday came from northern Israel and targeted a military post in the town of Zakia, in the western Damascus countryside. It offered no further details.
Israel carries out raids on Syria mostly during nighttime. Wednesday’s raid occurred shortly after midnight, Syria’s military said.
There has been an increase in reported Israel attacks in recent weeks.
Israel has staged hundreds of strikes on Iran-linked military targets in Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.
Israel has acknowledged, however, that it is targeting bases of Iran-allied militias, such as the powerful Lebanese militant Hezbollah group. It is going after arms shipments believed to be bound for the group. Hezbollah is fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces in the civil war.
Israel says Iranian presence on its northern frontier is a red line, and it has repeatedly struck what it has described as Iran-linked facilities and weapons convoys destined for Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group.
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