Arab Media: Israeli Attack on Military Airport in Damascus

Arab media in the region report another airstrike attributed to Israel on the military airport in Damascus, but official sources from Syria and Israel have remained silent on the matter. Arab media, some of which align with Hezbollah and the Syrian government, reported on Wednesday, December 7, that a heavy airstrike on this important military airport caused widespread fires. Images of these fires in the Mezzeh area, from which the airport derives its name, were shared on Arab social media. Reports indicate that the runway for military aircraft and an 'operational command center' at this airport were bombed. Arab news sources stated that the headquarters of the Syrian Army's 4th Armored Division, commanded by Maher Assad, one of Bashar Assad's brothers, is located at this airport, and allied forces operate from this airport. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz noted that the military airport in Damascus is not far from Bashar Assad's residence. The reports say that from 4 AM Damascus time, intermittent explosions of heavy bombs lasted for about half an hour, waking the people of Damascus. Last week, the official Syrian news agency quoted a 'high-ranking military official' from that country accusing Israel of attacking the western part of Damascus near the town of Saboura by firing two missiles from its fighter jets. Meanwhile, the Syrian military official stated that the airstrike was carried out without Israeli fighter jets entering Syrian airspace, but rather through Lebanese airspace. Arab media reported that in last week's attack, Israel also destroyed vehicles near the Damascus-Beirut highway, believing that a shipment of arms for Hezbollah was being transported via this highway. Throughout the Syrian civil war and before, there have been reports of other airstrikes attributed to Israel, with Syrian air defenses effectively remaining silent against all these attacks. However, Syria has recently acquired Russian S-300 air defense systems. Some military experts have stated that if the reports from Arab media regarding the recent attack and last week's attack on Damascus from Lebanese airspace are correct, this may indicate Israel's concern about entering Syrian airspace due to the presence of S-300 systems. Israel has consistently stated that it will not tolerate the delivery of weapons to Hezbollah that 'would change the current balance of power to Israel's detriment.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has occasionally hinted that such attacks are a result of his country's military and intelligence 'power' in tracking shipments sent to Hezbollah. The Israeli Prime Minister also officially confirmed two airstrikes by his country's army on an ISIS base in the Syrian Golan region ten days ago. In the past two years, Israel has killed Samir Qantar, a senior military official of Hezbollah, in an airstrike on Damascus airport and in another case, with an attack in the Syrian Golan, killed Jihad Mughniyeh, an important figure in Hezbollah and the son of Imad Mughniyeh, along with Colonel Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, an old member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, claimed two weeks ago in a letter to Security Council members that the Iranian airline Mahan Air is sending weapons from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard through Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran rejected this claim by the Israeli ambassador. Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, has recently stated several times that all missiles and weapons of this organization come from Iran. Hezbollah has transferred a large portion of its fighters to Syria since the third year of the six-year Syrian civil war to preserve Bashar Assad's regime. In this context, Israel reported airstrikes against ISIS members in Syrian territory. Iran denied Israel's accusation of transferring weapons via passenger aircraft. Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel is in close contact with Russia regarding Syria. A senior commander of the Revolutionary Guard reported that the United States destroyed a factory for making 'ground-to-ground' weapons in Aleppo. Israel has requested military coordination with Russia in Syria.