Israel Matzav

Report: Israeli jets struck military targets in Damascus

An image from Arab social media alleges to show an Israeli strike in Syria, Dec. 7, 2014. It was not immediately possible to confirm its reliability. Photo by Social Media

Israeli jets allegedly attacked targets around Damascus on Sunday evening. Israel has refused to comment on the reports. This is from Reuters.

"The Israeli enemy committed aggression against Syria by targeting two safe areas in Damascus province, in all of Dimas and near the Damascus International Airport," state television said, adding that there were no casualties.

Residents in Damascus said they heard loud explosions and opposition activists posted photos online of jet streams in the evening sky and fiery explosions. Syria's army general command said on state television that there were "material losses in some facilities." It said the strike benefited al Qaeda.

Syria's state news agency SANA said the strikes were a "flagrant attack on Syria", while the official news agency in Lebanon said Israeli jets breached its airspace on Sunday.

A resident in the Damascus suburb of Qudsaya, close to Dimas, said the agricultural airport in Dimas was hit. 

Dimas is in a mountainous area to the northwest of the capital which is under government control and close to several military installations.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the conflict through a network of sources on both sides, said that 10 explosions were heard near Dimas. It said that one missile hit a warehouse for imports and exports at the Damascus international airport.

Haaretz adds:

According to the reports, the Israeli air force flew at least 10 sorties over the Dimas area and attacked several military targets. Residents of Damascus reported hearing loud explosions on the outskirts of the city.

Al-Mayadeen, a pan-Arab television channel that is regarded as being close to both Hezbollah and the Syrian regime, reported that Syrian anti-aircraft batteries stationed at the airport had fired two missiles at the planes during the attack.  

...

"This aggression proves Israel's direct involvement in supporting terror in Syria, along with other Arab and regional countries," the Syrian military command said..

"The Israeli attack was designed to lift the morale of the terror groups, primarily Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State, after the blows they have received from the Syrian army."

Lebanese sources that the Israeli air force had been flying over southern Lebanon since Sunday morning. It was not specified whether the planes entered Syrian air space or fired from within Lebanese air space.

What this shows, among other things, is the weakness of the Syrian regime. At least ten sorties and they got off two anti-aircraft missiles in response? Cross them off the list of possible retaliators in the event of an attack on Iran's nuclear weapons program.

Hmmm.

Labels: Damascus, Hezbullah, IAF, Iranian nuclear threat, Syrian uprising, weapons shipment

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:13 PM