Israel launched a series of airstrikes in Syria's coastal Tartus region late Sunday, marking the most intense bombardment in the area since 2012, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The strikes targeted military sites, including air defence units and surface-to-surface missile warehouses, causing several large explosions that were captured on video.
The Observatory reported that the strikes devastated the base of the 23rd Air Defence Brigade and nearby facilities used to store advanced weaponry. "The heaviest strikes in Syria's coastal region since the start of strikes in 2012," it said.
Israel has long conducted airstrikes in Syria to prevent advanced weaponry from reaching hostile groups such as Hezbollah. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the strikes aim to thwart security threats and maintain stability along Israel’s northern border. "We have no interest in a conflict with Syria," he said, adding that Israel's action were aimed to "thwart the potential threats from Syria and to prevent the takeover of terrorist elements near our border".
According to independent researcher, Richard Cordaro the explosion was so big that it registered on the richter scale.
"The explosion of the ammunition depot at Tartus , Syria was detected at Iznik, Türkiye magnetometer station 820 km away," he said in a post on X.
Defence minister Israel Katz echoed Netanyahu’s sentiments, describing Syria’s evolving situation as a heightened risk to Israel's security despite the moderate tone of new Syrian leadership. Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Syria's de facto ruler after President Bashar al-Assad was ousted, criticised the strikes, calling them "unprovoked aggression." However, he stressed that Syria was focused on reconstruction and avoiding further military confrontations.
Since its civil war began in 2011, Syria has remained a battleground for various factions, with over 500,000 killed and millions displaced. Israel's recent actions highlight the ongoing volatility in the region, despite the apparent shift in Syrian leadership.
Israel’s strikes also intersect with its broader strategy to solidify control over the Golan Heights, a region it captured during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in 1981. Netanyahu’s government recently approved a $11 million plan to double the Israeli population in the Golan, a move condemned by Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
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