Israel strikes Hama and Homs military bases, infrastructure in Syria
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the bombing of the remaining military infrastructure at the Syrian bases of Hama and T4, along with other military bases located in Damascus. The attacks were intended to destroy facilities that Abu Mohamed al-Golani, the current president of the Syrian Arab Republic, could use against Israel.
Syrian state media reported that Israel attacked near a defense research center north of Damascus on Wednesday and also struck central Syria, while the Israeli military said it targeted military capabilities in several areas. According to state television Al Arabiya, "coinciding with the explosions in Damascus and Hama, explosions were heard near the T4 military airport in rural Homs."
Israel has launched hundreds of attacks on military installations in Syria since Islamist-led rebel forces overthrew ruler Bashar al-Assad early Sunday, December 8, 2024, saying it wants to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the new authorities, whom it considers jihadists.
"An Israeli occupation aircraft attacked the vicinity of the scientific research building" in the Barzeh neighborhood of Damascus, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported. He also reported an Israeli attack targeting "the surroundings of the city of Hama" in central Syria, without specifying what was hit.
The Israeli military said in a statement that its forces "attacked the remaining military capabilities at the Syrian bases of Hama and T4, along with other remaining military infrastructure sites in the Damascus area."
Last month, Israel claimed to have twice attacked the T4 military base in the central province of Homs, targeting the site's military capabilities.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a war monitor, said Wednesday's attacks targeted the Damascus research center, the T4 "military airport," as well as "aircraft and runways at Hama military airport," and reported unspecified casualties there.
In the days following the fall of Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024, the London, England-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported Israeli attacks on Barzeh's research center.
Western countries, including the United States, had previously attacked Defense Ministry facilities in 2018, claiming they were linked to Syria's "chemical weapons infrastructure." Furthermore, since the fall of Assad, Israel has deployed troops to a UN-patrolled buffer zone in the strategic Golan Heights and has called for the complete demilitarization of southern Syria, which borders the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has reported repeated Israeli military incursions into southern Syria, beyond the demarcation line, in recent months. Last month, during a visit to Jerusalem, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Israeli strikes against Syria were "unnecessary" and threatened to worsen the situation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic has accused Israel of waging a campaign against "the stability of the country."