Israel Air Strikes in Syria

2014

 * 07.12.2014
 * Israeli planes strikes a target near Damascus. S 300 shipment to Lebanon is said to be targeted. No casualties were reported. --Resup (talk) 20:02, 7 December 2014 (UTC)

2015

 * 19.01.2015
 * BBC: Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have confirmed that a general was killed in a suspected Israeli air strike in the Syrian Golan Heights on Sunday. Mohammad Ali Allah-Dadi was in Syria to advise forces supporting President Bashar al-Assad, a statement said.--Resup (talk) 17:52, 21 January 2015 (UTC)


 * 11.11.2015
 * Haaretz, Damascus airport hit podrobnosti.ua. "Weapons shipment" to Hamas may be hit, as reported. Syria apparently denied there was a strike.


 * 20.12.2015
 * Samir Kuntar (Hezbollah) reported killed in an airstrike on a Damascus suburb. Strike by Israel (as an interested party) is presumed in Russian media, however neither Syria nor Israel confirmed that.
 * Wikipedia: On May 26, 2008, Israeli sources announced that Samir Kuntar was among those who would be exchanged for the bodies of two reservists, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, captured by Hezbollah in the Zar'it-Shtula incident that sparked the 2006 Lebanon War. On June 29, 2008 the Israeli ministers cabinet approved the prisoner exchange between Hezbollah and Israel which would involve the release of Kuntar despite intelligence stating that the two soldiers were almost certainly dead.  Kuntar and four other prisoners released as part of the deal were the last of the Lebanese prisoners in Israeli custody. Also part of the deal was the release of the remains of other Lebanese from all other previous wars and, after a suitable interval, dozens of Palestinian prisoners. On July 16, 2008, Hezbollah transferred coffins containing the remains of captured Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, in exchange for Kuntar and four Hezbollah members taken prisoner during the 2006. Lebanon War.

2016

 * 13 Sept. 2016
 * IDF says Syria fired missiles at its jets, but denies claim aircraft was downed.
 * ''On Monday evening, Syrian fire crossed into the northern Golan Heights as a nationwide ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia came into effect in the embattled country. In response, the Israeli air force attacked cannons belonging to the Syrian regime on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.
 * Video claims to be the moment when Israeli jet was hit by S200  air defense missile (denied). It is also claimed that a drone was downed, with some downed drone photos on social media.

2017

 * 7 Sept. 2017
 * JPost ''The alleged Israeli attack hit a scientific research center where chemical weapons are manufactured, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. According to the reports, the attack was launched at 2:30 a.m. on targets located in central Syria, in the area of Hama, and also targeted several weapons convoys that were en route to Hezbollah strongholds in the area. The Syrian army charged later on Thursday morning that Israel killed two of its soldiers during the aerial attack.
 * JPost: 'Critical that Russia not be surprised'


 * 16 Oct. 2017
 * S-200 battery near Damascus was damaged by Israeli strike.
 * JPost:
 * ''The Syrian Army has warned of “dangerous consequences” following an air strike by Israel on a regime SA-5 antiaircraft battery east of Damascus, after it fired a surface-to-air missile at Israeli jets. Syria’s SANA state news agency reported that the Assad regime “warned of the dangerous repercussions of Israel’s repeated aggression attempts, stressing Syria’s determination to continue its war against the terrorist groups, Israel’s arm in the region.” According to SANA, the Syrian air defense “directly hit one of the jets, forcing the enemy to retreat,” contradicting Israeli military claims that all planes had returned safely from the operation. The SA-5 missile battery, which was stationed some 50 kilometers east of the Syrian capital, fired at the Israeli jets which were on a routine aerial reconnaissance flight in Lebanese airspace, IDF spokesman Brig.-Gen. Ronen Manelis stated. Israel believes that the Syrians fired at the Israeli jets at 10 a.m. Monday after thinking that they intended to attack. All Israeli aircraft returned safely to base and a few hours later responded by launching four missiles toward the same battery, destroying it.


 * IDF Spokesman Brig.Gen. Ronen Manelis told journalists that Russia was updated about the incident, in which no Israeli jets were harmed, in real time, and that it will be brought up during the visit of the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu who is set to land in Israel in the coming hours.
 * Syrian contributor to Rusvesna notes that the event occurred on the Syrian air force professional holiday (describing that as provocative and using emotional language throughout). It is notes in the post that no military personnel on the ground was harmed.


 * 2 Dec. 2017
 * JPost: ''Israeli aircraft attacked an Iranian base outside Damascus according to Sky News. According to foreign media reports, the Israeli fire was carried out from Lebanese airspace. The reports said that in response anti aircraft missiles were fired on the plane.

2018
Syrian state media: air defenses intercept some Israeli missiles aimed at an Iranian base in the Jamaraya region- JPost, 7 Feb. 2018
 * 6 Feb. 2018

10 Feb. 2018 (from our news page) Israeli F16 'crashed' in Northern Israel, amid intensive Syrian anti-aircraft fire, with implication the F16 had been downed by it Sputnik reports. According to IDF spokesman report Israel had been targeting an Iranian drone control centre, and the downed F16 was involved, after an Iranian drone entered Israel from the Golan Heights.

Extended report by RT including details of response in Northern Israel where alarms were sounded and aerial explosions heard. RT reports an Iranian drone was shot down by an Israeli helicopter. In response Israeli F16s attacked 'Iranian targets' in Syria, the drone control centre/drone’s launch site at the Tiyas Military Airbase near Palmyra in a 'complicated surgical strike'. There have been earlier reports that Russia is flying small number of SU-25 planes from Tiyas airbase (also Russian commercial interests in the nearby area have been reported).

In a follow-up, Israel strikes more Syrian and Iranian targets in Syria: “Twelve targets, including three aerial defense batteries and four Iranian targets that are part of Iran’s military establishment in Syria were attacked.”

Haaretz: F16 PilotS were forced to eject. Israel operates a twin seat F-16D variant in addition to the normal single seat variants. Reports suggest that the plane was F16I "Soufa", which Israel has in a 2-seated option. The pilots are safe and were transferred to a hospital. One of the pilots is reported in 'serious' condition.

Videos of drone and command vehicle destruction have been posted by IDF.

Netanyahu shows a piece of Iranian drone in Munich, 18 Feb. 2018
 * 9 Apr. 2018
 * Top minister calls for international forces to stop ‘genocide’ in Syria - Times of Israel, 8 Apr. 2018
 * Moscow denies Syrian regime used chemical weapons in Douma - Times of Israel, 8 Apr. 2018
 * Top official leading Russian efforts for reconciliation in civil war says Kremlin ready to send in analysts to collect data and prove claims 'fabricated'
 * Why did Assad use chemical weapons? Because he can - Times of Israel, 8 Apr. 2018
 * Iranian Soldiers Among 14 Reported Dead In Syria Air Base Attack-JPost, 9 Apr. 2018
 * An Israeli spokeswoman declined to comment on the attack.
 * 14 said killed in attack on Syrian facility previously targeted by Israel - Times of Israel, 9 Apr. 2018
 * news outlets close to dictator Bashar Assad’s regime reported that Israel was in fact behind the attack.
 * US officials said the US had not launched airstrikes on Syria. Israel said it does not comment on foreign news reports.
 * “According to a military source in Damascus, the Syrian Air Defense system was deployed from the Mezzeh Air Base after the jets entered Syria from Lebanon’s Beqa’a Valley,” Lebanese news site Al-Masdar News reported.
 * That is the route that Israeli jets generally take before bombing military targets in Syria, according to foreign reports.
 * RF Ministry of Defense: Israeli F-15 fired guided missiles at Syrian airfield T-4 -TASS, 9 Apr. 2018
 * ''On April 9, between 03:25 and 03:53 Moscow time, two F-15 aircraft of the Israeli Air Force, without entering Syrian airspace, struck the T-4 airfield with eight guided missiles from the territory of Lebanon. Air Defense units of the Syrian Armed Forces destroyed five guided missiles during an anti-aircraft battle, three missiles reached the western part of the airfield. There are no casualties  among the Russian advisers in Syria.
 * 2 Israeli warplanes carried out strikes on Syrian airbase – Russian MoD - RT, April 9, 2018
 * Сирия: ФАН публикует эксклюзивные фото последствий обстрела авиабазы Т-4 в провинции Хомс - RIA, April 9, 2018 (photos form T4 airbase)
 * First Photos Emerge Of Syrian Base Allegedly Targeted By Israeli Air Strike -JPost, April 11, 208
 * The first photos to emerge from a Syrian air base targeted by an air strike early Monday morning were published Wednesday by the Iranian Tasnim news agency.


 * 29 Apr. 2018
 * Israeli attacks on Iranian military positions was reported, 29 Apr. 2018, however it was not confirmed. According to early reports,  "strikes targeted the outskirts of the village of Jabal, located about 5 km from the city of Hama, Syria. "The Israeli Air Force attacked  Iranian positions, but partially touched the position of the 47th division of the SAA and warehouses."  IDF aircraft did not enter Syrian airspace.".
 * Syrian Army Says 'Enemy' Rocket Attacks Strike At Military Bases -JPost, quoting Syrian sources and social media, 30 Apr. 2018
 * Israeli sources appear to blame warehouse explosion or a ground attack. However, there is a range of opinions by commenters without direct knowledge, some not excluding Israeli role, and (not unusually) no official comment (yet).
 * Pro-Russian/loyalist sources claim that GBU-39 small diameter bomb was used
 * Fiery hell: "RusVesna" visited the site of a night air strike on a secret base in Syria (PHOTO, VIDEO), 30 Apr. 2018. There were explosions at the ammo storage, attributed here to an Israeli attack.
 * 'No Iranian forces harmed in Syria missile attacks' -Mehr News (Iran), April 30, 2018
 * Suspected Israeli missile attack wipes out small town in Aleppo (photos) - Leith Aboufadel, AMN, April 30, 2018
 * Suspected Israeli attack completely destroys Syrian missile base in Hama (photos) - Leith Aboufadel, AMN, April 30, 2018

Noted. Those April, 29 events occurred shortly prior to Netanyahu major announcement claiming Iranian violations of the nuclear deal (video), 30 April, 2018.

News/Updates

 * PM authorized to declare war in ‘extreme’ situations without consulting cabinet -Times of Israel, May 1, 2018

Analysis

 * The Syrian Crisis Escalates - Paul Craig Roberts, April 30, 2018 (mirror)
 * Noted. This analysis indicates apparent lack of understanding by PCR that (1) the Russian government is driven by commercial and internal governance reasons (as defined by the ruling elites) to a far greater degree then by geopolitics or (constitutionally banned) ideology, and aspires to be part of the West commercially while maintaining free hand in domestic and regional affairs. This is extensively covered from every possible angle in Russian-language analysis, both on patriotic and pro-Western opposition flanks, but is rarely part of English-language discourse. There is talk (including by Putin) of possible reversal, ceasing to pursue cooperation with the West, if it gets too bad; but it is not yet past that barrier, even if now essentially only by inertia (2) Israeli government is driven by security considerations (+occasionally its vital alliances) to a greater degree then by economics. Water is indeed vital and highly competitive throughout ME, but so far it was a factor complicating any Israeli post-wars gains reversals, not a cause of wars of expansion or choice. --Resup (talk) 11:55, 1 May 2018 (UTC)


 * Syria: Russia is teaching Israel, "the naughty boy", a lesson and Iran is watching, Elijah J. Magnier, Al Rai, April 29, 2018