Israeli strikes target Tartus area amid military activities in Syria
DAMASCUS
Syrian state media said Israeli strikes hit the Tartus area late on March 3, after a war monitor reported a blast near the city's port and the Israeli army said it struck a "military site" further north.
Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes after a lightning Islamist-led offensive ousted president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, in what it said was a bid to prevent Syrian military assets from falling into hostile hands.
Official news agency SANA reported "air strikes carried out by Israeli occupation aircraft on the surroundings of Tartus city, without recording human losses so far.”
"Civil defense and specialized teams are working to confirm the location of the targets," it added.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said that "a strong explosion rocked the Tartus port" at the same time as aircraft flew overhead, reporting smoke rising from the site.
The Israeli army said in a statement that its forces "struck a military site where weapons belonging to the previous Syrian regime were stored in the area of Qardaha.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month that southern Syria must be completely demilitarized, warning that his government would not accept the presence of the forces of the new Syrian Islamist-led government near its territory.
Syrian media on Tuesday reported that Israeli forces are active near Tel al-Mal peak in Daraa Governorate, where a former Syrian regime military post once stood.
The site is around 13 kilometers (over 8 miles) from Israel’s border, beyond the buffer zone between the two countries.
According to the local outlet Daraa 24, the sounds of bulldozers, as well as helicopter and drone activity, have been observed in the area.
Israel’s increased military activity in Syria came amid several reports by the media that cited the sources.
The media said that Israel seeks to weaken Türkiye’s influence in Syria by lobbying the U.S. for measures to decentralize the country and maintain Russia’s military presence.
Israeli officials fear that a Turkish-backed government in Syria could pose a threat to Israel’s borders.
The Israel Hayom daily reported that Tel Aviv asked U.S. to stop the establishment of three new Turkish bases in Syria – a claim not confirmed by Ankara.
The daily also said that Israel has asked its counterparts in Washington to convey the reassuring messages to Ankara.
Over the weekend, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth echoed the same claims, saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has send his military secretary Roman Goffman to Moscow to discuss Russia's military operations in Syria.
