Israel Launches Missiles At Damascus Military Targets

Israel launched missiles at several military targets outside the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday morning, the second strike in as many days targeting Hezbollah targets in Syria.

Syrian air defenses intercepted some of the Israeli missiles, the ministry claimed in a statement, resulting in what it called "material damage," A security source, speaking to Saudi media, revealed that the strike targeted a military base used by Syrian forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

The source claimed the attack was on a base used jointly by the military and Hezbollah, warning that Damascus provides the Iran-backed group with arms to use against Israel.

The security source emphasized, "Continued arms smuggling from Syria will increase Israeli strikes on the military stores and the continued Syrian support of Hezbollah and Iran, will prevent it from achieving stability and the Syrian people will pay the price."

The previous strike, late on Monday, targeted Hezbollah sites around Damascus, reportedly hitting ammunition supplies and causing explosions in the area.

Iran's substantial backing of President Bashar al-Assad during Syria's nearly 12-year-old conflict has led to Israel conducting regular air strikes to curb Tehran's extraterritorial military power, especially its support for Hezbollah.

The recent escalation in Israeli strikes on Syria follows heightened regional tensions since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. More than half a dozen Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers have been killed in suspected Israeli strikes on Syria since December, reflecting the intensifying conflict dynamics. Israel continues to remain silent on the attacks.

Consequently, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has scaled back the deployment of its senior officers in Syria and planned to rely more on allied Shi'ite militia to maintain influence there, as reported by Reuters in February.