‘Israeli strike’ hits Hezbollah arms depot near Damascus, Syria airport- Report

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israel airstrike syriaAn Israeli missile strike has caused a large explosion and fire at a military site near Damascus international airport, Syrian state media report.

A fuel tank and warehouses were damaged, the Sana news agency said.

But Syrian rebel sources said an arms depot run by Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, which is fighting in Syria as an ally of the government, was hit.

Israel said the explosion was “consistent” with its policy to prevent Iran smuggling weapons to Hezbollah.

But it stopped short of confirming it was responsible.

Israel regards Hezbollah, and its key backer Iran, as its biggest threat. It went to war with Hezbollah in 2006 and the group has grown considerably more powerful since then.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, reported that the powerful blast was heard across the capital at dawn on Thursday and that it was believed to have happened near the main road that leads to the airport.

Sana said several missiles had been fired at a military site south-west of the airport, causing explosions that resulted in some material losses.

Pro-government Al-Mayadeen TV cited sources as saying that missiles had been fired by Israeli jets flying inside the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Two senior rebel sources based in Damascus told Reuters news agency that the missiles had hit an ammunition depot in a closed military area that was used by Iran-backed militias operating alongside the Syrian army, led by Hezbollah.

Appearing to confirm Israeli involvement, Intelligence Minister Israel Katz told Israeli Army Radio: “I can confirm that the incident in Syria corresponds completely with Israel’s policy to act to prevent Iran’s smuggling of advanced weapons via Syria to Hezbollah in Iran. Naturally, I don’t want to elaborate on this.”

“The prime minister has said that whenever we receive intelligence that indicated an intention to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah, we will act.”

The Israeli military declined to comment on the reports.

Israel is thought to have bombed arms shipments intended for Hezbollah several times since the Syrian conflict began.

In a rare step last month, the Israeli military confirmed that its jets had struck several targets inside Syria in a raid that prompted the Syrian military to fire a number of ground-to-air missiles, one of which was intercepted over Israeli territory.

On Wednesday, a high-ranking Israeli military officer briefed reporters that approximately 100 missiles intended for Hezbollah had been destroyed in the raid.


Israel’s tacit understanding with Russia, by Jonathan Marcus, diplomatic correspondent, BBC News

 

In the wake of the US cruise missile attack on a Syrian air base at the start of this month, there was a lot of talk about Russia and Syria strengthening their air defences and the likely implications of this for Israel.

Would it hamper the Israeli Air Force’s freedom of action in the skies over Syria, where it has been conducting an intermittent air campaign to prevent sophisticated weapons transfers to the Lebanese Shia militia group Hezbollah?

Well, Thursday’s attack near Damascus airport seems to provide an answer. Israel – which is widely seen as being behind the strike – clearly intends to continue its campaign against Hezbollah weapons shipments and one must assume that it has a tacit understanding with Moscow.

Sophisticated Russian air defences cover much of Syrian airspace and have a more than adequate capability to interfere with Israeli attacks if Moscow so wished.

BBC

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20 responses to “‘Israeli strike’ hits Hezbollah arms depot near Damascus, Syria airport- Report”

  1. Danny Farah Avatar
    Danny Farah

    Where are the Russians airplanes intercepting the Israelis fighters? I guess it’s true that Russia and Israel have an agreement to let the IDF bomb Syrian installations without any interference from their part. But I am sure eventually it’s going to happen since the Russians will be embarrassed to respond. In the meantime enjoy the show. Hezbollah brings reports to the border lines and Israel brings their jets. what kind of games are they playing?

    1. Niemals Avatar

      It is obvious now that the Russians airplanes are not used in intercepting missiles.

      The large explosion and fire at a military site near Damascus international airport, was caused Israeli missile strike.

      Why Russia and Israel are cooperating in Syria?
      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/334432ad7df4d5706842c10d61c93d578d9f084b2dd997041d7007039a85e0af.jpg Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in a 2012 meeting. AFP photo.
      It would be interesting to know what kind of an agreement Russia and Israel have.

      We only know what Netanyahu said when briefing Israeli reporters after his meeting with Putin, Netanyahu said he had come with the goal of “prevent(ing) misunderstandings between IDF (Israel Defense Force) units and Russian forces” in Syria, Reuters reported.

      Netanyahu added that the two leaders had “agreed on a mechanism to prevent such misunderstandings,” but did not elaborate further.

      Whatever it means we will never know.

      1. What better source of intel for Israel then from Russian operatives within Syria that track Hezb/Iran movements?
        Iran should look at the big picture, and realize they will never be aloud to setup for attacks on Israel. Why do they obsess, and make “death to Israel” their sole national purpose when they should be fighting the real ISIL. No sense dying for Khamenei’s wet dream.
        They should go home and vote for the pre-approved murdering mullahs that Khamenei picked out for them as head useless puppet.

        I taunt because Iranians desperately need their own revolution to put these deathly mullahs back in their mosques and not running a country with faerie tales.

        1. HebAlba Avatar

          Isn’t that the big picture?
          “Never Again: Should Israel Bomb the Syrian Regime’s Extermination Camps?
          Maybe it’s time for Israel to intervene in Syria, and for the United States to take action as well.”
          https://ericyoffie.com/never-again-syria/

        2. Niemals Avatar

          If Russian operatives within Syria have the same ‘professionalism’ as the dummies of the Russian naval intelligence ship that sank off Turkey’s Black Sea after colliding with a vessel carrying livestock than I start to understand why Germany in the Crosshairs of Terrorism.

          Authorities arrested a 23-year-old Syrian man over links to a terrorist organization.
          He is accused of joining the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) in spring of 2013 and taking part in multiple engagements in Syria.

          The news comes shortly after a Bundeswehr soldier was arrested for allegedly planning an attack against refugees.
          https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7ad2e9c6bf30f58bcdfb8c3a7efd575c5a0b65c4fbc8c6e23b363e5fbcf3f3a3.jpg Franco A. (28) at his Bundeswehr headquarters in Illkirch-Graffenstaden, France.
          An embarrassing muddle, only one day earlier, a Bundeswehr officer was arrested for allegedly plotting a terrorist attack that might have been directed at migrants.

          The 28-year-old, had falsely registered as a Syrian asylum seeker, even though he could not speak Arabic!

          1. There will be more of this until the government stops being soft on migrants who abuse the system.

        3. Hannibal Avatar

          fairy

          1. D’oh, I have been very busy but I should stop and proof read before I post. My bad, I blame it on old age LOL.

  2. LOL, its like a game of “whack a mole”.
    Russia grows tired of the failed Hezb/Iran “mission” in Syria. It is possible that Russia is starting to realize that Iran is more part of the problem than the solution. The false hope for Iran that Russia will allow Iran to move on Israel is fully shattered and all Iran stands to prove now is how many martyrs they can produce in Syria, and that appears to be a lot.

    1. MekensehParty Avatar
      MekensehParty

      may they (the “martyrs”) be legions

      1. Hannibal Avatar

        “He thought it was you. How many cousins have you killed? How many sons and fathers and brothers and husbands? How many, brave Achilles?”

    2. Hannibal Avatar

      How could Hezb be a failed mission in Syria when they saved Syria’s and its regime’s ass. The Internet is littered with stories about how HA is doing all the dance while the Iranians and the Syrians stay behind watching and cheering. Russia and HA saved Syria from a zio-islamo cancer which nobody would have survived left to their peachy work. ZioIslamo fascism MUST be wiped out in Syria.

      1. One would think the Islamo fascism would be less desirable, and for this reason most would support Israel over either type of Sunni or Shiite theocratic dictatorship. Thus Israel is the lesser of two evils and Syria is certainly the land with many evils.

  3. HebAlba Avatar

    Isn’t that the big picture? Diabolic Zionists desperate for conquest.
    Palestine was just the start.

    ”Never Again:
    Should Israel Bomb the Syrian Regime’s Extermination Camps?
    Maybe it’s time for Israel to intervene in Syria, and for the United States to take action as well. A bold, inspiring and passionate Rabbi speaker on Israel, interfaith dialogue, church-state issues and American Religious life”
    https://ericyoffie.com/neve

    (innocent America)

    1. Rudy1947 Avatar

      You whine when Israel helps the wounded Syrians and whine when they don’t bomb “extermination camps”. You should change your name to HebWhiner I.

    2. “Maybe it’s time for Israel to intervene in Syria”
      Israel appears to be watching and only hitting high value targets. Missiles shipments and top Hezb/Iran members that are planning hits on Israel. Preemptive strikes are used in wars all the time, why wait till your enemy has already hit you? Why not prevent the extra blood?

  4. MekensehParty Avatar
    MekensehParty

    How funny all these missiles and warplanes entering Syrian airspace, bombing the capital or any other corner while Puti rides shirtless on a horse with a tattoo on his chest that reads: Syria’s protector.
    Hilarious!!!!
    Hey Puti: 59 tomahawks + a dozen Israeli strikes = how much ya hmar?

  5. Rudy1947 Avatar

    “Sophisticated Russian air defences cover much of Syrian airspace and have a more than adequate capability to interfere with Israeli attacks if Moscow so wished.”

    The Russians haven’t done anything except complain a little, why is that? Perhaps Israel and Russia got together and created an understanding what each side will do and tolerate.

    1. Israel is trying to get the point across to Iran that it should really fvck off and stop pushing on Israeli boarders.
      http://www.debka.com/newsupdatepopup/20478/Israeli-air-strike-reported-against-Syrian-Hizballah-force-nearing-Quneitra

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