Syrian media reported an Israeli airstrike near Aleppo late Thursday, the latest such attack since the overthrow of longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad last month.
According to the Sham FM radio station, the strikes hit a defense facility and a scientific research center near the city of al-Safirah, close to Aleppo.
It was not clear whether the strikes caused any casualties.
A resident of the al-Safirah area told AFP on condition of anonymity: “They hit defense factories, five strikes… The strikes were very strong. It made the ground shake, doors and windows opened — the strongest strikes I ever heard… It turned the night into day.”
There was no immediate comment from the IDF.
Since Islamist-led rebels ousted Assad in early December, Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes on Syrian military assets, saying they are aimed at preventing military weapons from falling into hostile hands. Targets have included chemical weapons sites, missiles, air defenses and air force and navy targets.
#BREAKING ????
Israeli air strikes targeted defense factories south of Aleppo, Syria moments ago pic.twitter.com/3N6w91Y4uP
— توفيق گیلاني (@SyriaNewsMan) January 2, 2025
The leader of the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who spearheaded the overthrow of the Assad regime, stated last month that Israel had “no more excuses” to carry out airstrikes in Syria. Better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Julani, Ahmad al-Sharaa said the IDF attacks on Syrian soil had crossed red lines and threatened an unjustified escalation in the region.
But he also appeared to indirectly respond to Israeli concerns and offer reassurance that the new Syrian government would not threaten the Jewish state or allow Iran to reestablish itself in Syria. He said that Syria was exhausted by years of civil war and that at this stage it would not be dragged into conflicts that may lead to further destruction, but would rather focus on reconstruction and stability.
As well as the major aerial campaign, Israel also entered a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights just hours after the rebels, led HTS, took Damascus. Israel has said it will not become involved in the conflict in Syria and that its seizure of the buffer zone established in 1974 was a temporary defensive move that would last only until it could guarantee security along the frontier.
Israel and Syria do not have diplomatic relations and have formally been in a perpetual state of war since Israel declared independence in 1948.
While the fall of the Assad regime, which stood for over five decades, could provide a historic opportunity for recognition between Israel and its neighbor, the potential power vacuum in Syria could also lead to further chaos and serve as a breeding ground for a resurgence of terror in the region.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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