반군에게 무기가 넘어가는 걸 막기 위해 공습을 실시중인 이스라엘 공군

[위종민]

아사드 정권이 무너진 뒤 반군이 시리아군의 자산을 접수하는 것을 막기 위해 이스라엘 공군이 시리아 각지를 공습중이네요. 

월요일 밤 알 바이다와 라타키아 항구를 공습해 시리아 해군 함정들을 부수고, 시리아 전역에 350회 이상의 공습을 가했다고 합니다. 다마스쿠스, 홈스, 팔미라, 타르투스에서 비행장, 군용차량, 대공무기 등 광범위한 목표물에 타격을 입혔다고 하네요. 이스라엘의 주장으로는 MiG-29와 Su-24 전기를 격파했다고 합니다. 

이스라엘 육군도 골란고원 비무장지대를 넘어 시리아 영토 안으로 진입했다고 합니다. 

12월 5일 타르투스 해군기지에 입항했던 호위함 3척, 지원함 2척, 킬로급 잠수함 1척 등의 러시아 해군 함정은 화요일 출항했네요. 라타키아 해군기지에서 공습으로 침몰한 SS-N-2C 스틱스 대함미사일 장착형 오사급 미사일고속정 사진도 찍혔습니다. 

Syria: Israel confirm‎s attack on naval fleet in Latakia

Syria: Israel confirm‎s attack on naval fleet in Latakia

Israel confirm‎s attack on Syrian naval fleet

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Jacqueline Howard

BBC News

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Israel has confirmed it carried out attacks on Syria's naval fleet, as part of its efforts to neutralise military assets in the country after the fall of the Assad regime.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its ships struck the ports at Al-Bayda and Latakia on Monday night, where 15 vessels were docked.

The BBC has verified videos showing blasts at the port of Latakia, with footage appearing to show extensive damage to ships and parts of the port.

The IDF also said its warplanes had conducted more than 350 air strikes on targets across Syria, while moving ground forces into the demilitarised buffer zone between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights.

Earlier, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said it had documented more than 310 strikes by the IDF since the Syrian government was overthrown by rebels on Sunday.

In a statement, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said the IDF was aiming to "destroy strategic capabilities that threaten the State of Israel".

He added that the operation to destroy the Syrian fleet had been a "great success".

The IDF said a wide range of targets had been struck - including airfields, military vehicles, anti-aircraft weapons and arms production sites - in the Syrian capital, Damascus, as well as Homs, Tartus and Palmyra.

It also targeted weapon warehouses, ammunition depots and "dozens" of sea-to-sea missiles.

It added that it had done so to prevent them "from falling into the hands of extremists".

In a video message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Syrian rebel group that ousted President Bashar al-Assad, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), that Israel would "respond forcefully" if they allow Iran to "re-establish itself in Syria".

He has previously expressed a desire for peaceful ties with the new Syrian government, and cast its interventions as defensive.

Rami Abdul Rahman, the founder of the SOHR, described the impact of the strikes as destroying "all the capabilities of the Syrian army" and said that "Syrian lands are being violated".

Meanwhile, the IDF also confirmed it had troops operating in Syrian territory beyond the buffer zone bordering the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Getty Images

Israel's defence minister said the Syrian fleet was attacked overnight

The IDF acknowledged that its troops had entered Syrian territory but told the BBC that reports of tanks approaching Damascus were "false".

It said some troops had been stationed within the Area of Separation that borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights "and then a few additional points".

"When we say a few additional points, we're talking the area of the Area of Separation, or the area of the buffer zone in vicinity," IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani told the BBC.

BBC Verify has geolocated an image of an IDF soldier standing just over half a kilometre beyond the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights, inside Syria on a hillside near the village of Kwdana.

On Monday, the Israeli military released photos of its troops who crossed from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights into the demilitarised buffer zone in Syria where UN peacekeepers are based.

The IDF seizure of Syrian positions in the buffer zone was a "temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found", Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.

"If we can establish neighbourly relations and peaceful relations with the new forces emerging in Syria, that's our desire. But if we do not, we will do whatever it takes to defend the State of Israel and the border of Israel," he said on Monday.

Turkeys foreign ministry condemned Israel's entry into the buffer zone, accusing it of an "occupying mentality" during a "sensitive period, when the possibility of achieving the peace and stability the Syrian people have desired for many years has emerged".

This buffer zone, also known as the Area of Separation was set up as part of Israel's ceasefire agreement with Syria in 1974 to keep Israeli and Syrian forces separated, following Israel's earlier occupation of the Golan Heights.

Israel unilaterally annexed the Golan in 1981. The move was not recognised internationally, although the US did so unilaterally in 2019.

Asked about the IDF strikes on Monday night, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel was concerned only with defending its citizens.

"That's why we attack strategic weapons systems like, for example, remaining chemical weapons or long-range missiles and rockets in order that they will not fall into the hands of extremists," he said.

On Monday, the UN's chemical watchdog warns authorities in Syria to ensure that suspected stockpiles of chemical weapons are safe.

It is not known where or how many chemical weapons Syria has, but it's believed former President Assad kept stockpiles.

• Follow here for updates
• What comes next for Syria?
• In maps: How did anti-Assad rebels take control?
• Syria rescuers end search for secret cells in notorious Saydnaya prison

Israel's attacks come after Syrian rebel fighters captured the capital, Damascus, as Assad fled the country, reportedly for Russia. He, and before him his father, had been in power in the country since 1971.

Forces led by the Islamist opposition group HTS entered Damascus in the early hours of Sunday, before appearing on state television to declare that Syria was now "free".

Additional reporting by Ian Casey

Satellite Photos Show Russian Navy Exodus From Syria, Syrian Missile Boats Sunk at Pier - USNI News

Satellite Photos Show Russian Navy Exodus From Syria, Syrian Missile Boats Sunk at Pier

Sam LaGrone

December 10, 2024 5:44 PM

Russian Navy warships off the coast of Syria on Dec. 10, 2024. Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies used with permission

New satellite photos from the Tartus naval base on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea show Russian Navy ships anchored off the coast of Syria after abandoning Moscow’s only overseas naval base. Photos also show the destruction of Syrian Navy missile boats at the in Latakia.

According to photos from satellite provider Maxar, three Russian Navy guided-missile frigates and at least two support ships were in port in Tartus on Dec. 5. On Tuesday, those ships had left port and at least two of the Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates were operating off the coat of Syria. The base had been home to two Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates, an Admiral Grigorivich-class frigate and an improved Kilo-class attack boat, according to Naval News.

Russian warships, including an Improved Kilo-class attack boat, three guided-missile frigates and two support ships in port at Tartus Naval Base on Dec. 5, 2024. Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies used with permission

The Gorshkov and Grigorivich frigates are the most modern surface ships in the Russian fleet. Both are capable of fielding the long-range Kalibir land attack missile and the Tsirkon hypersonic anti-ship missile.

Tartus has been a key base for Russian power projection in the Mediterranean, providing a logistics hub for naval forces aboard. Built by the Soviets in the early 1970s, the base was seldom used after the Cold War until Russian forces invaded Crimea in 2012. Russian forces were key to supporting the regime of Bashar al-Assad. After that, Tartus hosted ships that were used for Russian presence operations during the early days of the invasion of Ukraine. Tartus and the Russian air base in Latakia have been key hubs to support Russian operations in Africa.

Russian naval base Tartus on Dec. 10, 2024. ©2024 Maxar Technologies used with permission

The departure of the ships is part of an overall Russian withdrawal from Syria following the toppling of the Bashar al-Assad regime by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham – a group that evolved from al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate.

Photos from Maxar also show the purported Israeli attack on Syrian missile boats at the naval base in Latakia, about 50 miles north of Tartus. The imagery shows sunken Osa-class missile boats that were armed with SS-N-2C Styx surface to surface anti-ship cruise missiles. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the IDF attacked the remnants of the Syrian fleet in port on Tuesday. Defense minister Israel Katz said the Israeli Navy conducted the attack.

Syrian Navy missile boats sunk at the port of Latakia on Dec. 10, 2024. ©2024 Maxar Technologies used with permission

“The IDF (military) has been operating in Syria in recent days to strike and destroy strategic capabilities that threaten the State of Israel. The navy operated last night to destroy the Syrian fleet with great success,” Katz said during a visit to Israel’s primary naval base in Haifa on Tuesday.

Recap: Israel Strikes Syria Amid Uncertainty Following the Fall of Assad’s Regime - The Aviationist

Recap: Israel Strikes Syria Amid Uncertainty Following the Fall of Assad’s Regime

Recap: Israel Strikes Syria Amid Uncertainty Following the Fall of Assad’s Regime

Published on: December 10, 2024 at 9:34 PM

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 Rin Sakurai

A F-16I Sufa of the IAF, an extensively modified version of the F-16D, fully kitted out in strike configuration. (Image credit: Israeli Air Force)

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The IDF struck key installations in Syria, following the fall of the Assad regime, to prevent advanced weapons from falling into the hands of those hostile to Israel.

Following the recent fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have reportedly conducted over 300 airstrikes across Syria. This new round of strikes followed the first ones on the day Assad fled the country, which were meant to destroy suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets.

Contents

The IDF struck key installations in Syria, following the fall of the Assad regime, to prevent advanced weapons from falling into the hands of those hostile to Israel.The new strikesThe reasonsThe Syrian Rebels and Israel’s stanceSituation in the Golan Heights

The new strikes

According to Israeli sources, the military attacked “320 strategic targets,” in an operation called “Bashan Arrow,” after the biblical name for the region in the Golan Heights and southern Syria. The operation was divided in multiple phases, with the first focused on the destruction of air defenses.

The Israeli military says it carried out strikes against 320 "strategic targets" in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime over the weekend, destroying advanced weaponry Israel fears could fall into the hands of hostile elements including Hezbollah.

The name of the operation…

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 10, 2024

The new strikes targeted key Syrian military infrastructure, including a research center with suspected links to chemical weapon production and a site in Damascus, the Syrian Capital, said to have been used for rocket development by Iranian scientists.

Situation of the former scientific research center in north of Damascus after Israeli strikes. pic.twitter.com/rBcUeu6joe

— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 10, 2024

They have also hit other weapons and ammunition arsenals, the Syrian Air Force and Navy and weapons research centers. Locations included sites near or in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

Among the targets struck is the port of Latakia, where several vessels have been destroyed, including six Osa II-class missile boats. The real extent to the damage is unclear, but Israel is claiming its Navy has destroyed all the Syrian Navy’s vessels.

***UPDATE*** Images of sunken Syrian navy ships following last night’s Israeli Navy strike on Latakia, Syria. 6 x vintage OSA-II class missile boats.

[image or embed]

— H I Sutton (@covertshores.bsky.social) 2024년 12월 10일 오후 9:15

Situation in the port of Latakia after the Israeli strikes. https://t.co/LNFVszUNkP pic.twitter.com/bEsn5tbcK1

— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 10, 2024

Israeli sources claimed that the Syrian Air Force reportedly had all its MiG-29s and a large number of Su-22 and Su-24 aircraft destroyed. Images and videos emerged so far show MiG-21 and MiG-29 destroyed, as well as armed Gazelle helicopters and air defense systems, with penetrating munitions used to destroy aircraft in hardened shelters.

Several MiG-29s of the Syrian Air Force were claimed to have been destroyed yesterday, as a result of Strikes by the Israeli Air Force on Khalkhalah Air Base in the Suwayda Governorate. pic.twitter.com/T7sWOXQPwU

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 9, 2024

Reportedly the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Syrian air bases.

Dozens of planes, helicopters and defense systems were destroyed. pic.twitter.com/0u1lrGFPuZ

— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 10, 2024

The reasons

Israeli officials emphasized that these strikes aimed to prevent advanced weapons from falling into the hands of extremists hostile to Israel, such as Iran-affiliated militias or radical insurgents now vying for control in the power vacuum left by Assad’s downfall. These weapons more than likely include chemical weapons, which Assad was notorious for using against his own citizens. The strikes come as the UN’s chemical watchdog warns authorities in Syria to ensure that suspected stockpiles of chemical weapons are safe.

The Israeli strikes currently do not seem to have any reported civilian casualties, including infrastructure. According to BBC reports, the locations struck by the IDF were being guarded by HTS men and journalists were denied access to see the damage for themselves.

IDF strikes within Syria and other nations are not a new concept – Israel has openly admitted bombing targets associated with Iran and terror groups associated with Iran, such as Hezbollah. Notably, the US has also conducted strikes within Syria to limit ISIS affiliated groups from exploiting the volatile situation in the country.

An F-15D Baz takes off for a strike mission armed with GBU-31 JDAM bombs. (Image credit: Israeli Air Force)The Syrian Rebels and Israel’s stance

The Israeli attacks on Syrian soil come after a successful revolution in which rebel groups, led by the Islamist opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled the dictator Bashar al-Assad’s reign over Syria. Assad was backed extensively by Iran, Hezbollah and Russia.

The rebellion was a swift and decisive operation. With Assad’s two most powerful backers significantly weakened – Hezbollah in the Israel-Gaza war and cross-border air strikes between Israel and Lebanon, and Russia spending resources in the Ukraine war – HTS and its rebels were able to capture large swathes of Syria, including the capital city of Damascus.

The dictator and his father had been in power since 1971, and ruled with an iron fist. Rumors circulated of an Il-76, with Assad on board, crashed on Dec. 9, 2024, but it was later revealed by the Kremlin that Assad had safely fled to Moscow with his British wife and two adult children.

HTS was a direct affiliate of Al Qaeda, and is one of the founders of the Islamic State. Although Assad had links with Hezbollah and Iran, some of Israel’s worst enemies, Israeli calculations in 2011 showed that what would follow the regime could potentially be much worse for them than the Assad government.

Situation in the Golan Heights

Israeli ground forces, including tanks and personnel, also crossed the Golan Heights on Dec. 9, after Syrian troops left their posts. This is in order to “not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our [Israel’s]  border.” According to Nehanyahu, the IDF’s seizure of Syrian positions in the buffer zone was a “temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found”.

The unit deployed is the 98th Division, which is composed of a Commando Brigade, a regular full-time Paratrooper Brigade and up to 2 Reserve Paratrooper Brigades. The deployment of troops followed Israeli president Nehanyahu’s announcement that the IDF had seized control over the DMZ, claiming that the 1974 agreement had effectively “collapsed” with the rebel takeover.

The IDF deployed tanks and personnel, from the 98th Division, to the Golan Heights after 50 years. (Image credit: The Times of Israel)

The Golan Heights are an Israeli-occupied area next to the DMZ (demilitarized zone) between Israel and Syria, taken from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967, and annexed in 1981. It is especially of interest to the IDF perhaps because of the family ties to Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the HTS leader, who was originally from the region.

Israel has released a statement saying that the IDF was only taking “limited and temporary steps” for “security reasons” to protect its own citizens and that they had no interest in internal Syrian affairs.

TAGGED:IsraelIsraeli Air ForceSyriaSyrian Air ForceSyrian Navy

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By Rin Sakurai

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Rin Sakurai is a military aviation photographer and contributor to The Aviationist. Although interested in anything to do with post-WWII military aviation, he is particularly interested in East Asian air forces and experimental fighter aircraft. He is studying in high school, and is active on Instagram, X (formerly twitter) and Bluesky

[백선호]

2차대전 때 1940년 프랑스가 항복하자 프랑스 함대가 독일로 넘어갈 가능성이 있다고 냅다 쳤던 영국과 경우는 다르지만 단호하기는 같은 것 같습니다.

[위종민]

시리아 정부의 급작스런 붕괴를 예상하진 못했을 텐데, 며칠만에 공습을 체계적으로 시행하는 거 보면 평소에 주변국에 대한 정보를 수집해놓고 각종 상황에 대비한 시나리오를 다 짜놓고 공습계획까지 다 마련해놓는 것 같습니다.

수 차례 공습을 했지만 후티 반군의 홍해 차단을 풀지 못한 미국, 영국과도 비교되네요.