Israel strikes Hamas weapons depot in southern Syria
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the Israeli army announced an airstrike targeting a weapons depot belonging to Hamas in southern Syria.
"The Israeli Air Force conducted an airstrike based on intelligence confirming the presence of a weapons storage facility belonging to Hamas in the Deir Ali area in southern Syria," the army stated.
Since the fall of Bashar Al-Assad's regime in December 2024, Israel has intensified its military operations in Syria. One of the key actions was the invasion of the buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. This operation captured strategic locations such as Madinat al-Salam, Khan Arnabah, Ma'ariya, Al-Wehda Dam, Quneitra, and the Syrian-controlled side of Mount Hermon (Jabal al-Shaykh). This marked the first Israeli occupation of Syrian territory in over 50 years. The invasion was a direct response to the Syrian Army abandoning its positions along the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) buffer area.
In addition to ground operations, Israel has conducted numerous aerial campaigns targeting Syrian military capabilities under the pretext that these operations are part of a broader strategy to prevent advanced weaponry from falling into the hands of factions and to maintain security along the Israeli-Syrian border, according to the Times of Israel.
One of the key operations, known as Operation Bashan Arrow, was launched following Al-Assad's fall. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) targeted Syrian military capabilities across the country, conducting over 350 airstrikes that destroyed approximately 70-80% of the former regime's strategic military assets, including long-range projectiles, Scud missiles, cruise missiles, and chemical weapons stockpiles.
The IDF also conducted extensive naval and aerial strikes on Syrian military targets, including airbases, weapon depots, and production sites in Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia, and Palmyra. The Israeli Navy destroyed several Syrian naval vessels in the Minet el-Beida bay and Latakia port, as per the Times of Israel.
