Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Multiple Israeli drone strikes hit the governorate of Rif Dimashq in southern Syria on December 3, just a day after the country’s security forces announced the seizure of a weapon shipment allegedly bound to Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon.
The Syrian Arab News Agency said that the strikes targeted Bat al-Ward hill and the road leading to it close to the town of Beit Jinn, which is located right on the front with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. No casualties were reported by the state-run news agency.
Five days earlier, Israeli troops came under attack while conducting an operation to arrest suspects from a “terror group” in Beit Jinn. Six of the troops were wounded and at least 20 Syrians were killed in retaliatory Israeli strikes.
This was the deadliest clash since the Israeli military began conducting such missions in the region after occupying the buffer zone adjacent to the Golan Heights last year following the fall of the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad.
Israel’s Channel 13 reported after the clash that the military could transition to conducting fewer arrest operations against “terror operatives” active near the front and instead increase drone strikes to eliminate targets.
On December 1, the United States President voiced his support for Syria, calling on Israel in a post to Truth Social to “maintain a strong and true dialogue” with the country, warning that “nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State.”
Following Trump’s warning, Axios reported that the administration is fuming at Netanyahu over Israel’s escalation against Syria.
Later on December 2, The Syrian Ministry of Interior said that its forces seized a large shipment of landmines that was bound to Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon.
“Specialized units carried out a raid that resulted in the seizure of 1,250 war mines equipped with detonators, which were intended to be smuggled to the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. Four of those involved were arrested, while the fifth person was neutralized during clashes with the patrols,” Khaled Abbas Taktouk, Director of the Internal Security Directorate in the Yabroud region in Rif Dimashq, said in a statement published by the Syrian Ministry of Interior.
Only a few hundred landmines were seen in photos shared by the ministry later, which raises questions about the credibility of the claims.
Click to see full-size image. (Syrian Ministry of Interior)
Click to see full-size image. (Syrian Ministry of Interior)
The seizure of the weapon shipment was likely an attempt to appease Israel. Later strikes near Beit Jinn indicate that Israel was not very impressed, however.
Furthermore, the strikes show that Trump’s recent warning to Israel was nothing more than a formality, and that the latter was moving towards escalating operations in southern Syria.
Work on a security agreement between the two countries appears to be still on hold. Syria insists on an Israeli withdrawal from the buffer zone, and Israel is unlikely to back down as t he balance of power is completely in its favor.
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jogo de cena, israel vai invadir e tomar o sul da síria.
trump is always appeasing israel. this may be by force from epstein information or bribes. in israel, if you are not israeli you are marked for death or slavery as amelek. i say this by the proven actions of the zealots
they set up ukraine russia and israel iran and then the rest of the crew too .they set it all up globally .
there is a reason there is only a handful millions of jews compared to billions of christians and muslims and hundred of millions of bhuddists and other faiths/philosophies.