Israeli airstrikes hit Tartus: Heaviest assault on Syrian coast since 2012
Shafaq News/ Intensive Israeli airstrikes targeted military sites in Syria's coastal Tartus region on Sunday night.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that “Israeli warplanes raided several sites, including air defense units and surface-to-surface missile storage facilities,” calling it “the heaviest strike on the Syrian coast since 2012.”
Israel also carried out airstrikes on military positions in the Hama and Homs provinces in central Syria.
On Sunday, Israeli aircraft conducted a series of strikes on Deir ez-Zor, with the latest targeting the area around the city's military airport, according to the SOHR.
In a related development, media outlets reported that Israeli forces have expanded their occupation in Syria, entering new villages in the Quneitra countryside and positioning themselves 15 kilometers from the Damascus-Beirut highway.
The Israeli army has occupied three new villages in southern Syria: Jomla in Daraa, and Mazraat Beit Jinn and Maghar al-Mir in the Damascus countryside.
Since the fall of Al-Assad’s regime, the Israeli military has continued its intensive airstrikes on military targets deep inside Syria, alongside its incursions into Syrian territory from the Golan Heights, claiming to “prevent military threats from armed factions in Syria.”
The Israeli strikes targeted military sites, laboratories, and equipment, destroying much of the Syrian army's capabilities, though no casualties were reported.
Meanwhile, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the head of military operations in Syria, known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, confirmed that "the new forces are not interested in engaging in confrontation with Israel."
"Israeli justifications are weak and fail to account for their recent violations, as they have clearly crossed engagement lines, threatening unnecessary escalation in the region,” he added.
In response, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi stated, "Israel does not seek to interfere in Syrian affairs."
