9 killed in Israeli bombing and unprecedented incursion into Syria

At least nine civilians were killed early Thursday in Israeli airstrikes in southern Syria following an incursion by Israeli forces into the area, hours after raids targeted a strategic site and two military airports elsewhere in the country.

The Daraa Governorate reported in a statement on Telegram that "nine civilians were killed and others were injured, according to a preliminary toll, as a result of Israeli occupation shelling of the Al-Jubailiya Dam forest, located between the city of Daraa and the town of Tasil, west of Daraa." The attack followed an Israeli incursion into the area, "as occupation forces advanced to this depth for the first time."

An Al Jazeera correspondent reported that an Israeli force penetrated the western Daraa countryside before withdrawing to positions it had established inside Syria. The incursion coincided with intensive reconnaissance flights over the neighboring Quneitra Governorate and the western Daraa countryside.

In a previous post on Telegram, Daraa Governorate authorities reported that Israeli military vehicles had infiltrated the Jabaliya Dam forest near the city of Nawa, west of Daraa. They also reported that the Israeli army had targeted the slopes of Tal al-Jumu' near the city of Nawa in the western Daraa countryside with three artillery shells.

Activists also reported violent clashes with Israeli forces advancing into the Daraa countryside, incurring casualties among their ranks, forcing them to retreat. The Israeli army has not acknowledged this.

intense strikes

The shelling and clashes in Daraa coincided with Israeli airstrikes targeting strategic sites in the capital, Damascus, Homs, and Hama (central Syria).

Al Jazeera's correspondent reported, citing a military source, that casualties occurred as a result of more than 17 airstrikes targeting Hama Military Airport in central Syria, destroying most of its components and contents.

The official news agency SANA reported that "an Israeli air raid targeted the vicinity of the scientific research building in the Barzeh housing district of Damascus," in addition to "an Israeli air raid targeting the vicinity of the city of Hama."

Reuters quoted a Syrian military source as saying that more than 10 attacks on Hama airport destroyed runways, a control tower, weapons depots, and aircraft hangars.

The source continued, "Israel completely destroyed the Hama air base to ensure it could not be used. This is a systematic bombing campaign to destroy the military capabilities of the country's main air bases."

The Israeli narrative

For its part, the Israeli army said Thursday that it killed a number of militants during a night operation in the Tsil area of southern Syria.

The army stated that forces from the 474th Brigade carried out an operation last night in the Tsil area, and that they "confiscated combat equipment and destroyed terrorist infrastructure," it claimed.

He added that Israeli forces came under fire and responded with ground and air strikes, killing "a number of militants."

The Israeli military confirmed Wednesday night that it had launched strikes in Damascus, Hama, and Homs.

He said in a statement that he "strikes... in recent hours on military capabilities that remained in the area of the Syrian Hama and T4 bases (in the Homs countryside), along with military infrastructure that remained in the Damascus area," stressing that he will work "to remove any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel."

Since the fall of ousted President Bashar al-Assad on December 8, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes on military sites belonging to the former regime in Syria.

condemnation of Syria

For its part, the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned "in the strongest terms the latest wave of Israeli aggression against Syria," in a statement on Telegram.

"In a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic, Israeli forces launched airstrikes on five different areas across the country within 30 minutes, resulting in the near-total destruction of Hama Military Airport and the injury of dozens of civilians and military personnel," she added.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry continued, "This unjustified escalation constitutes a deliberate attempt to destabilize Syria and prolong the suffering of its people."

The ministry condemned "this aggression and blatant violation of international law," and called on "the international community to pressure Israel to halt its aggression and abide by international law."

After the fall of Assad, the Israeli army penetrated the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights, located on the edge of the Israeli-occupied part of the Syrian plateau, and took control of that area and expanded beyond it.

Last February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the complete demilitarization of southern Syria, warning that his government would not accept the presence of security forces affiliated with the new Syrian authorities near its borders.

For years, Israel carried out airstrikes on Syria during the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, targeting what it described as military facilities linked to Iran and arms transfers from Tehran to the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies