The IDF has struck targets in the Mediterranean ports of Latakia and Al-Bayda
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced strikes on Syria’s naval assets, capitalizing on the fall of Damascus to armed opposition groups and the toppling of the government of Bashar Assad.
Israeli warships fired missiles at the ports of Latakia and Al-Bayda over the past 48 hours, the IDF said on Tuesday evening. The army said that 15 Syrian naval vessels were docked at the ports during the attacks.
“Dozens of sea-to-sea missiles with ranges of 80-190 km were destroyed,” the IDF wrote on X, posting a video of the strikes on unspecified vessels.
Al Jazeera posted photos of what it said were destroyed Syrian Navy ships. An AFP reporter in Latakia said that smoke was coming from at least three Soviet-era vessels armed with machine guns and missile launchers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he authorized the IDF to “bomb strategic military capabilities left by the Syrian army, so that they would not fall into the hands of the jihadists.”
Israeli troops earlier advanced from the Golan Heights deeper into Syria, expanding the territory they have been occupying since 1967. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF intends to set up a “sterline defense zone” in southern Syria, in order to prevent “terrorist groups” from taking advantage of the chaos and threatening the Jewish State.
Arab countries and Türkiye have condemned Israeli operations, with Saudi Arabia arguing that the IDF’s actions were further destabilizing the civil war-torn country.
The situation in Syria changed dramatically earlier this month, when a loose coalition of anti-Assad forces led by the Islamists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a lightning offensive, seizing all of the cities previously held by the government. Other groups, including the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), used the collapse of the government army to expand their own control.
Russia’s air base near Latakia has been placed on high alert, Moscow said on Sunday, adding that there was no immediate threat to the troops. According to news agency TASS, the Syrian opposition is in contact with Russian officials and has guaranteed the safety of Russian diplomats and military personnel.
