Netanyahu Confirms 'Wave of Attacks' by His Country on Syria

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Israel, explicitly confirmed on Sunday, January 13, during his transitional government meeting in Jerusalem, that his country carried out the attack on Damascus airport, the capital of Syria, on Friday night. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu stated, 'In the last 36 hours, the air force attacked Iranian weapon depots at Damascus International Airport; the recent wave of attacks proves that we are more determined than ever to act against Iran in Syria.' According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the attack at 11:15 PM Syrian time on Friday, January 11, targeted a missile depot of Hezbollah, Iran's ally, at Damascus airport. A similar attack occurred two weeks prior, which Netanyahu had implicitly accepted responsibility for. The official Syrian news agency confirmed on Friday night that despite announcing the 'interception and destruction' of most Israeli missiles, a weapons depot belonging to the Syrian army at Damascus airport, in the al-Kisweh area on the outskirts of the capital, was damaged. This news agency reported that Israeli fighter jets attacked from the 'Finger of Galilee' (the northernmost area of Galilee). According to the Israeli website Walla, Netanyahu's statements on Sunday represent the clearest acceptance of responsibility and effectively mark the end of the 'deliberate ambiguity policy' regarding such Israeli attacks in Syria over the past three years. However, opposition politicians in Israel criticized Netanyahu, claiming that he sacrifices national interests for his electoral position in the upcoming parliamentary elections. A critical politician associated with the Labor Party stated that the parliament should investigate Netanyahu's statements for suspected violations of censorship regulations regarding the withholding of secrets. General Gadi Eisenkot, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, who is leaving this position after four years this week, stated in interviews with the New York Times and Israeli media that his tenure coincided with 'thousands' of Israeli attacks on 'Iranian targets' and their allies in Syria. Furthermore, according to the English section of the Times of Israel, Eisenkot warned Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, saying, 'Anyone who acts against us risks their life.' On the other hand, after Syria complained to the United Nations about the Friday night attack, the Lebanese government also complained to the Security Council on Saturday about Israeli fighter jets infiltrating Lebanese airspace. Although reports indicate that Israel usually uses Lebanese airspace for missile attacks on Syria, during the Friday night attack, it simultaneously flew low-altitude aircraft in Lebanese airspace while attacking Syria from Galilee. Iran only reminds in its responses that it provides 'advisory assistance' to the Damascus government at the invitation of the legitimate Syrian government.