Syria claims Israel Air Force attacked its capital Damascus

The Syrian state news agency SANA claimed the Israel Air Force carried out strikes against targets in the Syrian capital Damascus on Wednesday.

Two Syrian soldiers were reportedly wounded in the strikes, when IAF planes reportedly fired missiles into Syria from the Israeli side of the Golan Heights in northern Israel, according to SANA.

As in the past, Syrian media claimed that Syrian aerial defenses had neutralized “most” of the incoming Israeli missiles. Military experts, however, doubt the Syrian army is capable of preventing IAF aerial attacks.

In addition, SANA reported that the strikes caused “material damage.”

The Jewish state has so far refrained from commenting on the alleged aerial raid in Syria.

In the past decade, Israel Defense Forces has conducted hundreds of strikes against Iranian military targets across Syria and beyond. Known in Israel as MABAM, the Hebrew acronym for “war-between-wars” strategy, its overall purpose is to push Iran out of Syria and prevent the ayatollah regime from entrenching itself militarily on Israel’s northern doorstep.

This strategy often puts Israel at odds with Russia, a key ally of Iran.

Russian and Israeli interests in Syria differ, but both Moscow and Jerusalem are interested in stabilizing the country. Russian President Vladmir Putin has so far expressed his understanding Israel’s military need to prevent Iranian-led forces from threatening Israel from Syria.

Moscow has consequently remained largely quiet as Israel has so far conducted hundreds of military operations against Iranian targets inside Syria. However, Russia at times publicly expresses its criticism of Israeli military operations in Syria. 

"Israel’s continuing strikes against targets inside Syria cause deep concern. They are a crude violation of Syria’s sovereignty and may trigger a sharp escalation of tensions. Also, such actions pose serious risks to international passenger flights,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in February 2022. 

In addition, Israel has focused on preventing Iran from transferring “game-changing” weapons to its most powerful terrorist proxy, Hezbollah.

Occasionally, rockets are fired at Israel from the Syrian side of the border. In April, Israel hit targets in Syria after six rockets were fired from Syria toward the Israeli Golan Heights.

Two of the incoming rockets from Syria succeeded in crossing into Israeli territory. Israel’s Iron Dome aerial defense system intercepted one rocket while the second one fell in an open field.