In April 2023, Israel launched three air strikes in Syria against outposts located in Homs Governorate, resulting in the deaths of two Iranian military advisers and injuring five Syrian soldiers. The Israeli government has refrained from providing any official statements regarding these attacks, but intelligence sources from the Western world claim that the primary target of the strikes was to prevent the supply of weapons to the militias by Iran. According to these sources, Iran allegedly utilizes the T4 airbase and Al-Dabaa airport for this purpose. Iran has denounced the strikes as a violation of Syrian sovereignty and international law.[1][2]
| 2023 Israel strikes in Syria | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Syrian Civil War and the Iran–Israel proxy conflict | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Israel |
 Iran | ||||||
Background
editIsrael has a record of carrying out air strikes against targets with connections to Iran in Syria in recent years. Iranian forces have been able to expand their influence in the region due to the ongoing conflict in Syria. Iran provides military assistance to the militias fighting against rebel forces in Syria while also supporting the Syrian government. Israel considers the expanding Iranian presence in Syria to be a danger to its national security and has therefore taken steps to thwart the transfer of weapons to the militias that pose a direct threat to Israel. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group situated in Lebanon, is known to receive military personnel and weapons from the T4 airbase and al-Dabaa airport. The recent air strikes by Israel are likely to raise tensions in the area and may lead to further retaliatory action by Iran or its allies.[3][4][5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Israel attacks Syria's Homs, wounds five soldiers: Ministry | Politics News". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ "Second IRGC officer dies after Friday attack on Syria by Israel | News". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ "Five Syrian soldiers wounded in Israeli air strike near Homs: SANA". 2 April 2023.
- ^ "Two killed in yet another Israeli strike on Syria". 3 April 2023.
- ^ "Israeli airstrikes wound five Syrian soldiers, state media say | Syria". The Guardian. 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2023-04-03.