Israeli airstrikes target Iranian bases, proxies in Syria

At least three Iran-affiliated fighters were killed, and ten others were injured in Israeli airstrikes on four military centers and weapons depots belonging to IRGC’s Quds Force and Iran-backed proxy forces in the outskirts of Homs and Hama on the night of Friday, August 23.

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, among the targets of these attacks were a weapons depot in northwestern Hama, the command center of Brigade 47, and an air defense facility in Mount Maraan, where members of the IRGC's Quds Force, along with Syrian and non-Syrian militants supported by Iran, are stationed.

Additionally, Israeli forces targeted fuel depots belonging to Syrian members of Hezbollah in the west of the Homs refinery, as well as another site south of Mount Maraan, which served as the command center for the Iran-backed Rapid Response Group.

The air defense system stationed at the Hama military airport responded to the attacks but was unsuccessful in intercepting the Israeli missiles. As a result, a weapons depot and fuel tanks were destroyed, causing thick smoke to rise from the targeted sites due to the ignition of the fuel depots.

SANA, Syria's state news agency, confirmed the Israeli airstrike and reported that "seven civilians were injured, and damage was caused."

23 IRGC officers killed in Israeli attacks on Syria in 8 months

Since 2013, Israel has conducted numerous attacks against the IRGC's Quds Force and Iran-backed proxy forces in Syria, primarily targeting their military bases, weapons depots, and infrastructure to prevent the transfer of advanced weapons and equipment to Iran's proxy groups or to reduce their presence in Syria. These attacks have become more frequent in recent years.

In early April, an air strike on a building in Iran’s diplomatic compound in Damascus, killed seven Revolutionary Guard officers, including two generals. The incident led the Iranian military to undertake an unprecedented retaliatory drone and missile strike against Israel on April 13. Almost all of the 350 projectiles were shot down by Israeli air defense and allied warplanes.

According to reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Israel has conducted at least 60 air and missile strikes on targets in Syria since the beginning of 2024.

Reports indicate that these attacks, carried out in at least nine Syrian cities, have destroyed nearly 124 targets, including buildings, weapons and ammunition depots, centers, and vehicles belonging to the IRGC's Quds Force and Iran-backed proxy forces.

These strikes have resulted in the deaths of 181 military and militia personnel and injuries to 113 others.

Among those killed, at least 23 were Iranian officers of the IRGC's Quds Force, 116 were Lebanese, Syrian, and Iraqi members of Iran-backed proxy forces, and 42 were Syrian military personnel.