DAMASCUS: Israel launched airstrikes on military air bases and infrastructure sites in the Syrian cities of Damascus, Hama and Homs on Wednesday, the Israeli military said.
Israel spent years carrying out airstrikes on Syria during former President Bashar Assad’s rule, targeting Iran-linked military installations and weapons transfers from Tehran intended for the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which was deployed in Syrian territory.
That arms route was cut when Assad was toppled but Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Syrian military bases.
The strikes targeted the military airport in the Syrian city of Hama, and the vicinity of the scientific research center in the Barzeh neighborhood in Damascus, Syrian state media and local officials said.
Israel bombed facilities of the scientific research center shortly after Assad was ousted by Islamist rebels on Dec. 8, claiming that the center was used to develop guided missiles and chemical weapons.
Israel also said on Wednesday it targeted the T4 air base, in Homs province, a place which was repeatedly hit by Israel over the past week.
Casualties were also reported following the airstrikes on Hama, security sources told Reuters on Wednesday, but no official death toll was reported on the Syrian state media.
“Israel has completely destroyed Hama air base to ensure it is not used. This is a systematic bombing to destroy the military capabilities of the country’s main air bases,” a Syrian military source told Reuters, adding around a dozen strikes demolished the runways, tower, arms depots and hangars.
Hama air base, located west of the city, is one of the country’s main air bases that was used extensively during the 13-year old conflict between Assad and rebels before they ousted him, as a main launching pad for bombing former opposition-held areas in the north.
Israel and Syria have been witnessing an increase in violence along the border, marking an increased friction between the two after a new Islamist-led leadership was installed following Assad’s ouster from power.
Israel has since said it will not tolerate an Islamist militant presence in southern Syria and sent its own troops into Syria’s border zone. Syria’s leadership has said it does not intend to open a front against Israel.
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Israel strikes Syria’s Damascus, Hama airport
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Israel strikes Syria’s Damascus, Hama airport
- Israel has claimed the center was used to develop guided missiles and chemical weapons
- Casualties were also reported following the airstrikes on Hama
Lebanon says France to host conference to support army
- Lebanon said Wednesday that a conference in support of the country’s army as it seeks to disarm militant group Hezbollah would take place in Paris on March 5
BEIRUT: Lebanon said Wednesday that a conference in support of the country’s army as it seeks to disarm militant group Hezbollah would take place in Paris on March 5.
The announcement follows recent promises of support to the military, which lacks funds, equipment and technical expertise.
Presidency spokeswoman Najat Charafeddine said President Joseph Aoun met French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, Saudi envoy Yazid bin Farhan and ambassadors including from the US, Egypt and Qatar, discussing preparations for “a conference to support the Lebanese army and internal security forces.”
“It was decided to hold the conference in Paris on March 5, to be opened by French President Emmanuel Macron,” she said at the presidential palace.
Under US pressure and fearing expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which was badly weakened in more than a year of hostilities with Israel that largely ended in late 2024.
Last week, Lebanon’s army said it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm the group, covering the area south of the Litani river, around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border.
A plan for the disarmament north of the Litani is to be presented to cabinet next month.
Israel, which accuses Hezbollah or rearming, has criticized the army’s progress as insufficient, while Hezbollah has rejected calls to surrender its weapons.
Lebanon’s army has dismantled tunnels and other military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah near the Israeli border in recent months, seizing weapons and ammunition, despite its limited capacities.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah, and has maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic.
Last month, talks with international envoys in Paris touched on the Lebanese army’s needs, while its chief agreed to document its progress in disarming Hezbollah.
The announcement follows recent promises of support to the military, which lacks funds, equipment and technical expertise.
Presidency spokeswoman Najat Charafeddine said President Joseph Aoun met French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, Saudi envoy Yazid bin Farhan and ambassadors including from the US, Egypt and Qatar, discussing preparations for “a conference to support the Lebanese army and internal security forces.”
“It was decided to hold the conference in Paris on March 5, to be opened by French President Emmanuel Macron,” she said at the presidential palace.
Under US pressure and fearing expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which was badly weakened in more than a year of hostilities with Israel that largely ended in late 2024.
Last week, Lebanon’s army said it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm the group, covering the area south of the Litani river, around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border.
A plan for the disarmament north of the Litani is to be presented to cabinet next month.
Israel, which accuses Hezbollah or rearming, has criticized the army’s progress as insufficient, while Hezbollah has rejected calls to surrender its weapons.
Lebanon’s army has dismantled tunnels and other military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah near the Israeli border in recent months, seizing weapons and ammunition, despite its limited capacities.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah, and has maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic.
Last month, talks with international envoys in Paris touched on the Lebanese army’s needs, while its chief agreed to document its progress in disarming Hezbollah.
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