The Israeli military’s image of a strike on Assad regime position in southwest Syria, June 2, 2019


Israel attacked military targets in southwest Syria early Sunday, after two rockets were fired into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Israel Defense Forces helicopters and warplanes hit two artillery batteries, several observation and intelligence posts, and an air defense unit, the IDF said.

The Israeli army refrained from specifying whom it believes fired the two rockets — Assad regime units, Hezbollah, Iran, or Iranian-led militia — while saying it “sees the Syrian regime as responsible for all attacks against Israel from Syrian territory”.

The strikes were the second by Israel against the regime military in the southwest in the past week.

Regime media said Israel also struck the al-Kisweh base, with its Iranian and Iranian-led personnel, south of Damascus. The attacks were reportedly on weapons caches and a military training facility.

The SANA news agency said three troops were killed and seven injured in the attack, which caused “material damage”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We are not prepared to tolerate firing into our territory and we react with great force against any aggression against us. This is a consistent policy that I lead and so we will continue to do for the sake of Israel’s security.”

Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against Assad regime, Iranian, and Hezbollah targets during Syria’s eight-year conflict. The attacks initially focused on Iranian transfers of weapons and missiles to Hezbollah and on the movement of Iranian and Hezbollah personnel to southwest Syria near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In the past year, with Netanyahu demanding Iranian military withdrawal from Syria, Israel expanded the raids to targets Assad regime bases with Iranian personnel throughout the country.

The attacks were paused after a Russian surveillance plane was downed in September by an Assad regime air defense missile during Israeli strikes on western Syria. However, they resumed in December.

In January, Israel fired missiles on the Kisweh base on Damascus, a warehouse at Damascus International Airport, and Iranian targets across southern Syria. On March 27, the Israelis attacked a base with Iranian personnel near Aleppo. And in mid-April, they struck a complex near Maysaf, connected to the regime’s chemical weapons program and reportedly with an Iranian presence.

Syria Daily, April 13: Israel Strikes Key Military Base in Northwest