The Syrian military has claimed that Israeli planes attacked military sites near Damascus.
The attacks, also reported on Syrian television, took place on Dec. 7, the military said, according to a report by the Syrian state news agency Sana. Israeli planes are reported to have hit several military facilities near Damascus International Airport and in Dimas, located north of Damascus near the border with Lebanon.
Syrian state television reports said that there were no casualties.
As of midweek, the Israel Defense Forces neither confirmed nor denied the reports, in keeping with IDF practice of not commenting. But on Dec. 9, Haaretz reported that Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon made an unusually direct reference to the alleged strike, saying, “Whoever tries to arm our enemies should know we will reach any place at any time to thwart their plans.”
Ya’alon added that Israel “will not compromise on the matter and not allow the crossing of red lines that endanger the security of Israel,” according to the Israeli daily.
The Syrians said the attacks were further evidence that Israel was working with rebels against the Syrian government in the country’s more than three-year civil war.
The Jerusalem Post cited foreign reports that said the attack targeted a warehouse of advanced S-300 missiles that were being transported from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry sent letters to the United Nations secretary-general and to the head of the U.N. Security Council condemning Israel for the attacks, Sana reported.
Israel reportedly has struck targets in Syria several times during Syria’s civil war. The strikes, including at least two in 2013, were reported to be an effort to stop the transport of advanced weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon via Syria. Israel has not acknowledged or denied the strikes. — jta & j. wire reports