In what would be the first airstrikes since the Russian air force began operating in Syria, Israeli jets allegedly hit two Syrian army bases housing long-range missiles and a Hezbollah post. Syrian state TV makes no mention of reports.
For the first time since the Russian air force began flying missions in Syria, Israeli fighter jets attacked targets in the country, Arab media outlets reported on Saturday.
News outlets in Syria and Lebanon reported that Israel Air Force jets hit Syrian military bases and Hezbollah positions overnight Friday at approximately 11 p.m. near the Qalamoun Mountains on the Lebanese-Syrian border. The reports, it must be noted, are unsubstantiated, and official state news agencies in Syria made no mention of any Israeli attacks.
According to the reports, eyewitnesses in Syria and Lebanon said four Israeli planes carried out a number of attacks and bombed two bases and positions near the village of Al-Qutayfah (some 40 kilometers, or 25 miles, east of Damascus). They also claimed a Hezbollah outpost was hit, across the border from the northern Israeli village of Ras al-Ein.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also cited eyewitnesses in Syria and Lebanon who said the Syrian army’s 155th Division was targeted in the airstrikes. According to the reports, the bases sustained heavy damage and weapons warehouses were allegedly destroyed. The reports made no mention of casualties.
A Lebanese defense official told local news stations that the bases that were reportedly attacked stored long-range ballistic missiles, supposedly earmarked for transfer to Hezbollah.
It must be noted that Arab media outlets in recent days have reported that Russian and Syrian jets have flown missions together in the vicinity of Quneitra and Daraa in southeastern Syria, near the borders with Jordan and Israel, and have bombed rebel positions in the area. The Kuwaiti paper Al Rai reported that Russian jets mistakenly bombed a Hezbollah squad near the border with Syria and southern Lebanon, killing between seven and 10 Hezbollah fighters.
By Daniel Siryoti and Israel Hayom Staff
