Israeli Air Force Strikes Again in Syrian Territory

Regional Arab media report that Israeli Air Force jets attacked the 'Qalamoun' area on the Syria-Lebanon border on Friday evening, April 23. Neither Syria nor Israel has officially reacted to these reports. According to these reports, Israeli jets apparently bombed an arms depot that was likely intended for the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya report that these bombings resulted in explosions in the towns of 'Qatifa', 'Yabroud', and 'Qara'. Al Jazeera initially claimed that two Syrian army brigades, which possess 'strategic weapons' and long-range missiles, were bombed. Al Arabiya also claimed that several Scud missiles in the depots of these brigades were destroyed. Al Arabiya further stated that Israeli jets had conducted another attack in these areas the previous Wednesday. Official sources from both Israel and Syria have remained silent regarding these reports. The last time an Israeli airstrike in Syrian territory was reported was in December 2014, when a military base in the 'Dimas' area near Damascus International Airport was targeted. Following that attack, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, without explicitly confirming the report, stated that Israel takes any preventive action necessary for its security. Since the onset of the four-year internal conflict in Syria, Israel has attacked targets in Syria several times; in all these instances, media reports indicated that weapons likely intended for transfer to Hezbollah in Lebanon were destroyed. Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, confirmed that in some of these attacks attributed to Israel, weapons supplied to Hezbollah were destroyed, promising that the organization would acquire more advanced weapons each time. In late January 2015, Israel targeted a convoy of Hezbollah forces at the Quneitra border in Syrian territory, resulting in the deaths of Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of Imad Mughniyeh, and Mohammad Ali Allah Dadi, a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard officer, along with several other prominent Hezbollah members. Attacks attributed to Israel in Syria occurred on May 3 and 5, 2013, July 5, 2013, January 31, 2013, December 7, 2014, and February 24, 2014. Although Israel has not accepted responsibility for these attacks, Israeli media have quoted senior officials stating that 'Israel will not allow weapons to reach Hezbollah in Lebanon that could disrupt the strategic balance in the region.' Despite the presence of Hezbollah militants in Syria to ensure the survival of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Hassan Nasrallah has emphasized in his speeches that the organization remains prepared for a potential war with Israel and that Hezbollah's military capabilities will continue to be strengthened. Last week, Assad stated in an interview with French media that the presence of Hezbollah forces in Syria was at the request of his government.