Israel Air Strikes in Syria


 * ''See also Israeli air strikes in Iraq



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.

IDF retwitts a warning on (unspecified) 'irregular Iranian activity'. It is reported that in the evening Israel struck Iranian base near a settlement of al-Kisva IDF: Iranian forces fired approximately 20 rockets, some of them were intercepted, no injuries were reported. Netanyahu is in Moscow for the V-day celebrations.
 * 8 May.
 * 9 May, 2018.
 * 10 May, 2018
 * "Israel strikes Iranian targets in Syria in response to rocket fire" -BBC, 10 May, 2018
 * 28 Israeli jets fired about 60 rockets in overnight strikes on Syria – Russian MoD - RT, May 10, 2018
 * ''A total of 70 projectiles, including 60 air-to-surface rockets and more than 10 surface-to-surface missiles, hit Iranian military targets and Syrian air-defense systems near Damascus and in the south of the country on Thursday morning, the Russian military said in a statement.
 * As part of broader strikes exchanges, Israeli missile struck Syrian Pantsir S1 vehicle at Mezze airbase, Damascus province. Rusvesna commentary: (1) Syrians overlooked the attack, a man (identified as lt. Ali Mustafa) is seen running towards  Pantsir vehicle shortly before the strike (2) old model of Pantsir has radar only on one side (3) Rusvesna attributes the attack to Spike NLOS missile, a long range anti-tank missile with a range of about 25 km, saying that fragments were found. It's plausible; Wikipedia describes targeting system as infrared (heat seeking), not the most useful here, but  other targeting systems in development are mentioned too.


 * 24 May, 2018
 * Report: Syrian Air Defense Intercepts Israeli Missile Strike on Airport -JPost, 24 May, 2018


 * 26 June, 2018
 * Syrian Media: Two Israeli Missiles Strike near Damascus Airport -JPost, 26 June, 2018 (AFP),(TASS,Rusvesna-own sources).


 * 8 July, 2018
 * Syrian TV: Israel Responsible for Air Strikes on T-4 Military Base in Homs -JPost, 8 July, 2018
 * The air defenses hit one of the "attacking planes and forced the rest to leave" Syria's air space according to Syrian state media citing a military source. Syrian state media did not report any casualties, but according to Syrian opposition forces there are nine dead on the base. Al Jazeera, citing Arab media sources, said between four to six rockets hit the air base and surrounding areas. An army officer in the southern Syrian desert said the air defense system shot down missiles coming from south of the Tanf region towards the Homs air base.


 * 22 July, 2018
 * Israel struck military post in Hama province, Syrian state television says -JPost, 22 July, 2018
 * '' Syrian state television said Israeli air strike had hit a military post in the city of Misyaf in Syria's Hama province but caused only material damage. An intelligence source said a major military research center for chemical arms production was located near the city. Some of Iran's military bases in Syria are next to Syrian military compounds, according to the intelligence source.
 * (Note: reported in the evening of a day when it was announced that Israel helped evacuate the White Helmets)


 * 4 Sep. 2018
 * Syria says Israeli planes target military positions in Syria-JPost, 4 September, 2018
 * Israeli planes said to attack Iranian military sites in Syria -Times of Israel, 4 September, 2018
 * Israel struck over 200 Iranian targets in Syria over past year-JPost, 4 September, 2018
 * The Israeli army has carried out more than 200 air-strikes against Iranian targets in Syria and fired over 800 missiles and mortar shells over the past year and a half, the IDF has revealed. The strikes were meant to prevent Iranian entrenchment in Syria, and led to the Islamic Republic evacuating several bases in Syria, according to the IDF. The campaign also interrupted Iran’s arms smuggling.
 * ВВС Израиля атаковали Сирию, часть ракет сбита силами ПВО -Rusvesna, 4 September, 2018


 * 15 Sep. 2018
 * Syria accuses Israel of striking near Damascus international airport -JPost, 15 September, 2018

IL-20 shoot-down

 * 17 Sep. 2018
 * ''Moved to Shoot-down of Russian IL-20 in Syria


 * 25 Dec. 2018.
 * Russia Calls Israeli Strikes In Syria 'Provocative Acts'-JPost, 25 December, 2018
 * ''According to ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, Israeli F-16s carried out air strikes on Syrian targets as two civilian flights were landing in Beirut and Damascus, putting the passengers at risk. According to a report by Newsweek quoting a source in the US Defense Department, senior Hezbollah leaders were targeted in the air strikes. Other locations reported by Syrian media to have been struck during the strike include pro-Iranian military positions located in the suburbs of Damascus, air defense facilities and headquarters of the 68th Brigade and the 137th Brigade of the Syrian army in the Damascus area, a military headquarters belonging to the 4th Division of the Syrian army in the Al-Muna area surrounding Damascus, and military Unit 10 in the district of Qatana.
 * ''Syrian state media said the strikes were carried out from Lebanese airspace and that a number of “hostile targets” were intercepted by its S-200 air defense system. Israel’s air defense system was also activated, with a smoke trail seen from Hadera south of Haifa.
 * ''Earlier on Tuesday, an Iranian cargo jet belonging to Iran’s Fars Air Qeshm landed in Damascus International Airport. The Boeing 747, affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), took off from Tehran at 5:30 p.m. and landed shortly after 7:45 p.m. The airline has been repeatedly accused of smuggling Iranian weaponry to Hezbollah, and was suspected to have transported military equipment from Tehran to the Syrian army and Hezbollah.
 * Were Hezbollah members targeted near Damascus? -JPost, 25 December, 2018
 * ''Hezbollah senior leaders and members were traveling to Damascus during the air strikes that rocked areas west of the Syrian capital. According to several sources, including the Lebanese website NewLebanon.info, the Hezbollah delegation was journeying to Damascus to board a flight bound for Tehran. It was heading to the funeral of Grand Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, an important Iranian cleric who was head of the Expediency Discernment Council. He died on December 24, and senior Iranian religious figures buried him on Wednesday. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei presided at the ceremonies, according to Iran’s Fars News. A Mahan Air flight left Damascus around 10 p.m. in the midst of the air strikes. The claim that the Hezbollah members were targeted and that they were traveling for the Shahroudi funeral has not been confirmed. Newsweek reported that a Defense Department source said the strike was “conducted minutes after the leaders boarded a plane bound for Iran.”

2019

 * 11 Jan. 2019
 * Syrian Reports: IDF Attacked Iranian Militia Targets in Syria's Damascus-JPost, 11 January, 2019
 * The Syrian air defense system is dealing with hostile targets over Damascus, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported. Explosions were also reported in the skies of the Syrian capital. Syrian air defense units fired on enemy targets above Damascus and destroyed several, state news agency SANA said


 * 20 Jan. 2019
 * Report: Israel Strikes Syria in Rare Daytime Attack; Syria Fires at Golan - JPost, 20 January, 2019
 * New IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi ...


 * 21 Jan. 2019
 * IDF Destroys Weapons Cache, Military Sites in Overnight Attack on Syria- JPost, 21 January, 2019
 * Syrian Air Defences Destroyed 30 Israeli Missiles, Guided Bombs - Russian MoD Sputnik 21 January, 2019
 * Satellite photos of Damascus airport after the attack, ISI / Cassad, 22 January, 2019
 * Fiery Hell: Rusvesna visited the place of nightime strikes in Syria (video), 23 January, 2019


 * 13 April, 2019
 * Satellite images show impact of air strike in Syria -BICOM, April 15, 2019


 * 18/19 May 2019
 * Syria air bases activate defenses, prepare for attack (breaking news) - JPost, 18 May, 2019
 * Syria accuses Israel of airstrikes on targets outside Damascus - JPost, 19 May, 2019
 * includes discussion of earlier attacks

IAF destroys Syrian missile launcher after missile fired at Israeli plane (Quneitra) - JPost, 27 May, 2019
 * 27 May 2019


 * 1 June, 2019
 * IDF struck targets in Syria, 1 June, 2019
 * Video is published of Israel’s missile strike on Syria - TASS, 2 June, 2019


 * 3 June, 2019
 * Syrian regime: two killed in Israeli attack on T4 airbase- JPost, 3 June, 2019


 * 24 August, 2019
 * IDF- acknowledged strike on Iranian forces in Syria, said to prevent a pending drone strike on Israel.
 * IDF on high alert following strike, 2 Hezbollah militants killed - JPost, 25 August, 2019
 * Hezbollah warns of retaliation after two 'Israeli' drones downed in Beirut - JPost, 25 August, 2019


 * ?? September, 2019
 * Saudi fighter jets strike pro-Iran militias in eastern Syria: Independent Arabia - Al Arabiya English, September 18, 2019

Gadi Eisenkot statements
Smash the bases, spare the men — Israel’s invisible war in Syria -The Sunday Times, January 13, 2019

“In January 2017 we began attacking the infrastructure the Iranians were building in Syria.” “We began attacking systematically a number of times each week. Without making any statements. Beneath the radar.”

“We identified the Iranian strategy. They planned by the end of 2018 to have up to 100,000 Shi’ite fighters in Syria. They were bringing them in from Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan. They built intelligence bases on the Golan Heights [along Israel’s border] and simultaneously built wings at all the Syrian air force bases and brought in civilians to begin a process of indoctrination in schools and population centres.”

To avoid giving the Iranians a reason to retaliate, care was taken to avoid harming Iranian personnel, targeting only infrastructure. The general estimated that “only a few dozen Iranians were killed in the attacks”.

“We killed 10 Iranians — the most senior of them was a colonel [in the air wing of the Revolutionary Guards],” the general said. “Following this the Iranians decided to retaliate and attack northern Israel. We identified on May 8 serious preparations for a missile attack, led by Quds Force.”

Israeli operations prevented some of the missiles from being launched, and when the Iranians fired their remaining rockets the next night, most fell short of Israel’s borders. Four missiles that entered Israeli airspace were intercepted and destroyed. Israel then launched airstrikes against 80 Iranian targets in Syria.

Israel has declared that rather than taking sides in the Syrian civil war it is preventing the entrenchment of Iran across its border. Eisenkot acknowledged for the first time, however, that Israel had supplied rebel groups in the border area with light weapons “for self-defence”.

Coverage:
 * Eisenkot says Israel should not claim responsibility for Syria strikes- JPost, January 13, 2019
 * Israel should not take credit for attacks on Syria, Gadi Eisenkot, the outgoing IDF chief of staff, said Sunday evening, just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel was responsible for the bombing of Iranian arms in Damascus over the weekend.
 * "I don't think Israel needs to take responsibility for strikes in Syria, as has been done in the past, [only] updating relevant parties," he said in an interview with Army Radio. On Saturday, Eisenkot was quoted by The New York Times as saying: "We struck thousands of targets without claiming responsibility or asking for credit."
 * IDF chief finally acknowledges that Israel supplied weapons to Syrian rebels - The Times of Israel, January 14, 2019
 * Ex-IDF chief: We’ve jeopardized national security by admitting to Syria strikes- The Times of Israel, September 26, 2019
 * In apparent dig at Netanyahu, Gadi Eisenkot says ...
 * Israel's ex IDF Chief :We have supplied ISIS, Al Qaeda , FSA with weapons and funding for years - Alawite Muslim Defence League, November 29, 2019 (video)

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
 * Commentary: Inside Israel’s new Iran strategy - Maysam Behravesh, Reuters, September 17, 2018