On the night of December 16, Israeli warplanes carried out a series of powerful strikes on military facilities in the Syrian port city of Tartus, home to a key Russian naval base and ship repair yard.
Points of attention
- Israeli military aircraft carried out a series of powerful strikes on military facilities in Tartus, where an important Russian naval base is located.
- The strikes targeted a number of facilities in Tartus and Latakia province that are linked to the Russian military, including a Russian naval base and a ship repair yard.
- These are the most powerful strikes in over a decade, focused on destroying weapons and other military assets that could fall into enemy hands.
- The Israeli Air Force has been active in Syria, carrying out airstrikes on Iranian military targets since the fall of the Assad regime.
- These airstrikes were part of Israel's response to the collapse of the Assad regime and the deployment of ground troops in Syria, during which it provided support for ground operations to destroy weapons and military facilities.
Israel launches most powerful attacks in over a decade
The strikes reportedly targeted a number of targets in Tartus and Latakia province. According to Israeli media, the attack damaged facilities associated with the Russian military, including a Russian naval base and a ship repair yard.
פיצוץ מאגר האמל"ח בטרטוס — בתקיפת צה"ל. pic.twitter.com/BaqRUOqhub
— נדב איל Nadav Eyal (@Nadav_Eyal) December 15, 2024
The strikes also hit air defense units and surface-to-surface missile depots, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in the largest strikes on Syria's coastal regions since 2012.
💥🔥 Tartus pic.twitter.com/Gshsa2mIrc
— Malinda 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇵🇱🇨🇦🇮🇹🇦🇺🇬🇧🇬🇪🇩🇪🇸🇪 (@TreasChest) December 16, 2024
Israel bombs Iranian military targets in Syria
Earlier, Israeli airstrikes struck the "Mount Qasun missile base" in Damascus, as well as the airport in the southern province of Sweida, and the "defense and research laboratories in Masyaf" in Hama province.
Earlier this week, military sources reported that the Israeli Air Force had carried out several airstrikes on Syrian military facilities since the fall of the Assad regime, with the aim of destroying weapons and other assets so that they do not fall into enemy hands.
The collapse of the Assad regime, accompanied by the abandonment of military facilities and equipment, prompted a reaction from Israel, which for the first time in 50 years carried out almost half a thousand airstrikes on military targets in Syria and deployed ground troops in the country.
The Israeli military said on December 10 that it had carried out about 480 strikes across the country over the past two days, hitting most of Syria's strategic weapons stockpiles.
It is specified that about 350 strikes were carried out by manned aircraft on airfields, anti-aircraft batteries, missile launchers, drones, fighters, tanks and weapons production facilities. These facilities and weapons were located in the areas of Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia and Palmyra. The remaining strikes were carried out in support of ground operations on weapons depots, military facilities, launchers and firing positions.
