Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes targeted the Tartus area on Monday, as tensions continue to rise in the country. The attack follows Israel’s recent strikes on military sites across Syria, which it claims are aimed at preventing weapons from falling into hostile hands.
According to Syria’s official news agency, SANA, the Israeli aircraft struck areas around Tartus city, though no casualties have been reported so far. “Civil defence and specialised teams are working to confirm the location of the targets,” the report added.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported a powerful explosion near Tartus port, with smoke rising from what it described as a military base.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed it had targeted a different site further north, in Qardaha, the hometown of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. “Our forces struck a military site where weapons belonging to the previous Syrian regime were stored,” the Israeli army said, citing recent developments in the area as justification.
Israel has carried out numerous strikes in Syria following Assad’s overthrow in December, targeting military sites it claims could pose a future threat. Last Tuesday, Israeli airstrikes hit southern Syria, killing at least two people at a military facility southwest of Damascus, according to the Observatory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the complete demilitarisation of southern Syria, warning that his government will not tolerate the presence of forces from the country’s new leadership near Israel’s border.
Israel’s involvement in Syria dates back to the civil war that erupted in 2011. Even before Assad’s downfall, Israeli forces frequently targeted Iranian-linked groups and Syrian military sites. The same day Assad was ousted, Israeli forces entered the UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian-controlled territories in the Golan Heights.
Syria’s new leadership has condemned Israel’s latest strikes and incursions, urging the international community to take action. During a recent national dialogue conference, Syrian representatives denounced Netanyahu’s statements as provocative and called for global pressure to halt Israeli aggression and violations.
Meanwhile, Israel has warned of further military action if Syria’s new rulers threaten the country’s Druze minority, following reports of unrest in a Damascus suburb with a significant Druze population.
With tensions escalating, it remains unclear how Syria’s leadership will respond, but the ongoing Israeli strikes suggest that the situation is far from stabilising.
