Israeli strikes in Syria ‘further challenging the transition’
It’s not just a one-time strike that Israel is conducting now, it’s a systemic one, and now they are saying that they are aiming to destroy Syria’s defence bases.
Today, they have hit three major airports. And it’s not only the military air bases that they have struck, they are also striking strategic facilities, they have hit the military headquarters, they have hit the intelligence headquarters, they are hitting the ammunition depots, and they are hitting some of the other places that they say were chemical weapons production houses.
The Israelis say that they have destroyed dozens of helicopters and aircraft. And the reason they are doing that is that they are concerned that these strategic facilities, this ammunition and military equipment could fall into the hands of the opposition.
But this policy is actually further challenging the transition period here.
For more than five decades, the Assad regime has ruled over Syria and now there is a new administration here, and the opposition is not experienced when it comes to state affairs, they are already facing numerous challenges, security challenges, and on top of that now, the Israeli attacks are coming again and again, destroying almost all facilities and constantly hitting the capital.
Israeli military attacked more than 250 targets in Syria: Report
An Israeli security source tells local media that the country’s military has carried out “one of the largest attack operations in the history of its air force” in Syria following al-Assad’s removal.
The unnamed source told the state-funded Israeli Army Radio that “more than 250 military targets were attacked in Syria”.
The source added that targets included “bases of the Assad army, dozens of fighter jets, dozens of surface-to-air missile systems, production sites and warehouses […] and surface-to-surface missiles”.
UN peacekeepers say Israel violated 1974 agreement in Syria
UN peacekeepers in Syria have told Israeli forces that their seizure of land in Syria constitutes a violation of an agreement established in 1974.
Back then, Syria and Israel signed the Agreement on Disengagement, which ended the Yom Kippur War. A UN peacekeeping force was also established, UNDOF, tasked with maintaining the ceasefire between the two countries.
After the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, Israel considered the deal null and therefore occupied Syrian land near the already-occupied Golan Heights.
“The peacekeepers at UNDOF informed the Israeli counterparts that these actions do constitute a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement that there should be no military forces or activities in the area of separation, and Israel and Syria must continue to uphold the terms of that 1974 agreement and preserve stability in the Golan,” UN secretary-general’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has said.
Syrian diplomats told to continue with their jobs
Syria’s ambassador to the UN says the country’s current leaders have told Syrian embassies and missions to continue doing their jobs during the transitional period. Koussay Aldahhak made the comments in New York as the UN Security Council held emergency closed consultations on the opposition overthrow of al-Assad.
On instructions from the current leaders, Aldahhak said he sent letters to the UNSC and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemning Israel’s attacks on Syria, and demanding that Israel not be allowed to benefit from the transition that the Syrians are doing now”.
“Syria now is witnessing a new era of change, a new historical phase of its history and Syrians are looking forward for establishing a state of freedom, equality, rule of law, democracy,” the envoy added. “We will join efforts to rebuild our country, to rebuild what was destroyed, and to rebuild the future, a better future of Syria for all Syrians.”
