Israel’s large-scale assault aims to destroy Syria’s defence bases

Israel’s attacks on Syria are systematic. They are aiming to destroy Syria’s defence bases now.

Today, they have hit three major airports, one in Qamishili in the north of the country, another one in Homs, the country’s third-largest city, and then Mezzeh airport in Damascus.

And it’s not only military air bases. They are also striking strategic facilities, including the military headquarters and ammunition depots. And they’re hitting places they claim are chemical weapon warehouses and production facilities.

They also said they have destroyed dozens of helicopters and aircraft, and they claim they are doing this because they are concerned that these strategic facilities and military equipment could fall into the hands of the opposition, which has just taken over Damascus.

Fire breaks out in Damascus after Israeli attacks

The Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, said its firefighters have put out a fire in Damascus following Israeli attacks that targeted scientific research centres on the city’s outskirts.

It said rumours of toxic gases in the city were not true. “We confirm that there was no evidence of unusual toxic fumes during the extinguishing of the fire, and no cases of suffocation were observed among civilians,” it added on X.


_{Aftermath of Israeli attacks on Barzah scientific research centre north of Damascus}

US Muslim group slams Israeli attacks on Syria

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned “Israel’s invasion and bombing of Syria” and said the “Syrian people deserve to rebuild their country free from foreign occupation and violence”.

The group, in a statement on X, also denounced Biden for shipping weapons to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government “despite the Gaza genocide”. “This inaction has emboldened indicted war criminal Netanyahu to defy international law and attack Syria,” CAIR said.

As we’ve been reporting, the Israeli military has carried out what one official called “one of the largest attack operations in the history of its air force” in Syria following al-Assad’s fall. The military has also seized land in the Syrian Golan Heights.

We condemn Israel’s invasion and bombing of Syria—escalating crimes enabled by President Biden’s refusal to suspend U.S. weapons shipments despite the Gaza genocide. This inaction has emboldened indicted war criminal Netanyahu to defy international law and attack Syria.

The… pic.twitter.com/vxK8Bl1k5m

— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) December 10, 2024

Explosions as Israeli forces attack Damascus again

Al Jazeera Arabic’s correspondent is reporting hearing explosions in Damascus and surrounding areas as the Israeli military continues to pound the Syrian capital.

Israeli attacks kill two civilians in Deraa

Israeli attacks make new administration’s job ‘almost impossible’

The repeated Israeli attacks in and around Damascus and other regions create a huge challenge for the opposition in Syria to preserve the state apparatus and secure a smooth transition.

The old regime that lasted more than half a century is gone and the Syrian opposition lacks the experience of running the state affairs. So, there is a very delicate balance here. They need to succeed in preserving the state facilities together.

Furthermore, the political spectrum here is also very delicate. The Syrian opposition is not a single entity. It is a coalition of groups with different backgrounds and approaches, so any failure of the new administration here could potentially lead to a new civil war.

Therefore, the Israeli attacks are making the new administration’s job almost impossible.

Precisely what Netanyahu wants. Keep all their surrounding countries weak and on the brink of civil war. Just as Israel doesn't allow the Lebanese army to get any power to counter Hezbollah, and why they're now bombing any air defense capabilities.

Israel launches large-scale attack on Syria

The Israeli military launched a large-scale attack on Syria, striking what it called strategic military sites after the fall of the al-Assad government.

Israeli forces push further into Syrian territory after al-Assad’s fall

Israeli forces have taken advantage of the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime to penetrate strategic areas in Quneitra governorate in southern Syria, according to Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency Sanad.

The Israeli army’s control of Mount Hermon and several surrounding villages and towns within the demilitarised zone have now reached a depth of at least 18km (11 miles) inside Syrian territory and are not far from the capital, Damascus.

No permanent military posts have been detected in the controlled villages and towns yet, but Mount Hermon is considered a vital strategic location with suitable infrastructure that enables Israeli forces to remain there for a long period if deemed necessary.

It also overlooks vast areas of southern Syria and the occupied Golan Heights, making it a constant target in regional conflicts.

Israel has claimed its presence is temporary and aimed at ensuring that the areas adjacent to the occupied Golan Heights are not exposed to any potential security threats.

Israeli spokesperson denies forces crossed Syria buffer zone

An Israeli military spokesperson has denied that Israeli forces had penetrated Syrian territory beyond the buffer zone with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights after Syrian sources said the incursion had reached up to 25km (15 miles) from the capital, Damascus.

“It’s not true, the forces have not left the buffer zone,” the spokesperson said.

Yesterday, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran decried Israel’s seizure of land in Syria near the occupied Golan Heights as the Israeli military continues to launch air strikes across the country.

We have reported earlier that Israeli forces penetrated strategic areas in the Quneitra governorate in southern Syria, according to Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency Sanad.

The Israeli army’s control of Mount Hermon and several surrounding villages and towns within the demilitarised zone have now reached a depth of at least 18km (11 miles) inside Syrian territory and are not far from the capital, Damascus, a Sanad investigation showed.

Israel taking advantage of ‘free-for-all’ in Syria to launch attacks

Israel has been attacking targets linked to Iran and Hezbollah in Syria for several years, but Russia’s sudden marginalisation has enabled it to hit military sites in the country with no restrictions, analyst Aron Lund told Al Jazeera.

Prior to the Syrian government’s collapse, “Israel operated under rules set in negotiations with Moscow, which appear to have included a promise not to seriously destabilise al-Assad’s rule,” said Lund, who is a fellow with Century International and a Middle East analyst at the Swedish Defense Research Agency.

“Now, Russia is no longer constraining Israeli action,” he added.

In its large-scale attacks across Syria, Israel has been going after Syrian military infrastructure as well as Iran-linked assets that have been revealed in the past few days as government officials fled. It also launched an incursion into what it sees as a buffer zone on the edge of the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

“It’s a free-for-all in Syria and Israel is taking full advantage of it,” Lund said. “The international community doesn’t seem to care, although I think at some point there will be more criticism, especially if Israeli troops move deeper into the areas south of Damascus.”

How the international community reacts to the situation on the ground will be “especially important because Syria is already in the throes of an extreme economic crisis” and “things are now likely to get worse,” he added.

“How do you get humanitarian aid to Syria at scale, when the capital is controlled by a UN-designated terrorist group?” Lund asked. “How do you get Syria’s economy to function and feed millions of people when the previous source of energy, which was oil shipments from Iran, has suddenly vanished?”

Israel has launched nearly 310 air strikes in Syria since al-Assad’s fall: War monitor

Israeli warplanes have targeted factories in Aleppo belonging to the Syrian Air Force, as well as weapons and ammunition warehouses on the outskirts of Damascus and a number of other places across Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

The UK-based war monitor said, “the attacks resulted in complete suspension of air defences and put all targeted positions out of system”.

An extensive list of the targeted military assets in various provinces, including Deir Az Zor, Hama, Homs, Hasakah, Latakia, Damascus, Rif Dimashq, Deraa, Quneitra and Aleppo.

Syrian navy ships in Latakia destroyed by Israeli attacks

Israel targeted at least six Syrian navy vessels: Ambrey

British security firm Ambrey says the Israeli military targeted at least six Syrian naval vessels in an attack on the Syrian port of Latakia on Monday.

Ambrey said video footage showed one naval vessel and indicated five others had been sunk without any visible damage being done to the port’s infrastructure.

Syrian security sources told Reuters on Monday that Israel’s military had targeted an air defence installation near Latakia. The attack followed the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by rebel forces.

UK’s Lammy defends Israel’s strikes on Syria

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has defended Israel’s extensive bombing of Syria by saying Israel had “legitimate” concerns.

“It’s right to understand that Israel has legitimate security concerns in a country that’s housed ISIS [ISIL] and al-Qaeda,” Lammy said in response to a parliamentary question by MP Brendan O’Hara, adding that he had spoken to his Israeli counterpart.

“It’s for all of those reasons that we want an inclusive society that supports everyone, but none of us can have truck with terrorist groups,” he said.

As Syria celebrated, I remembered my Syrian friends Bashar and Mounzar and their families from Bute.
For @theSNP I asked David Lammy the legal justification of Israel’s bombing of Damascus as the population celebrated their freedom from Assad. I found his answer extraordinary. pic.twitter.com/wPkTf8l2om

— Brendan O'Hara MP (@BrendanOHaraMP) December 10, 2024

USA/UK/Germany/Israel can all go fuck themselves.

Many Syrian civilians killed in attacks by Turkish-backed forces: War Monitor

SOHR, the UK-based war monitor, says 10 of the victims were killed in artillery attacks by the Syrian National Army (SNA) in the village of Zarfan, near the city of Manbij in northeastern Syria.

The attacks came as the SNA seized control of Manbij from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is supported by the US.

SOHR said the attacks forced residents of Manbij to flee east of the Euphrates River. It added that SNA forces “assaulted properties of civilians and burnt their houses” after taking control of Manbij.

SOHR reported that two children were also killed in artillery attacks by the SNA on the village of Tarmy in the district of Ain al-Arab, in eastern Syria.

Earlier, it reported that another 11 people from the same family, including six children, were killed in a Turkish drone attack in the SDF-controlled village of Al-Mustariha in in Ain Issa countryside in Al Raqqa.

The reports could not be independently verified.

What’s happening in Manbij?

Once a strategic hub for the US-backed Kurdish YPG armed group, Manbij has now fallen under the control of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, or SNA. The city is located some 30km (19 miles) south of the Turkish border and was the YPG’s largest stronghold west of the Euphrates River.

Its fall comes days after the SNA launched what it calls “Operation Dawn of Freedom” to capture territory that the YPG had seized in recent years.

The YPG, which leads the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), governs vast areas in northern and eastern Syria, including vital oil fields and areas hosting some 900 US troops. It had seized Manbij in 2016 with US support during the fight against ISIL (ISIS).

While the US and later Russia assured Turkiye that the YPG would withdraw after defeating ISIL fighters, Ankara says this promise was never kept.

Turkiye regards the YPG as the Syrian arm of the PKK, a group designated as a terrorist organisation by the US and the European Union. It also views the YPG’s push for autonomy in northern Syria as a threat to its territorial integrity and a potential catalyst for Kurdish separatism within Turkiye’s own borders.

Now, the capture of Manbij is an important step for the Turkish-backed SNA, and the group has already declared the city of Raqqa as their next target. But these advances have prompted concerns in both the US and Israel.

In Washington, DC, top Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has underlined the US’s support for Kurdish forces and warned Turkiye it could face sanctions. Israel has also said that attacks on YPG strongholds must be stopped.

Erdogan tells NATO chief Turkiye wants ‘terrorism-free’ Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has had a phone call with NATO chief Mark Rutte about developments in Syria.

Erdogan claimed during the call that Turkiye “has supported the preservation of Syria’s territorial integrity and stability since the very first day of the civil war”, according to a short statement posted by his office on X.

He emphasised that “Syria should be governed by the Syrian people, and that Turkiye will continue to do its utmost to help build a unified and terrorism-free Syria”.

Then don't give people reasons to resort to 'terrorism'

Turkiye destroys YPG trucks carrying Syrian army weapons: Report

Turkiye’s intelligence agency has destroyed 12 trucks loaded with missiles and heavy weapons, two tanks and ammunition stores being transported by the Kurdish YPG militia in northeast Syria, Reuters news agency reports, citing an unnamed Turkish security source.

The source said that the military equipment had been left behind by the armed forces of Syria’s ousted President Bashar al-Assad when they abandoned the area of Qamishli in northeast Syria.

The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) have been a leader in the coalition of groups that made up the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. The group had been enjoying near-autonomy in northeast Syria, which has been under its control for years.

No Iranian forces currently present in Syria: Report

Ahmad Naderi, a member of the presiding board of the Iranian parliament, has told the semiofficial ISNA news agency about the outcome of a closed-door meeting at the presence of IRGC commander-in-chief Hossein Salami.

In comments verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency, Sanad, Naderi said the parliament was informed that there were currently no Iranian forces present in Syria. Forces were present in Syria until the last moments preceding the fall of al-Assad’s government, but they were later withdrawn, he said.

Esmail Qaani, the commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC which leads the axis of resistance, was absent in the meeting.

Rescue teams find 15 bodies in Sednaya Prison

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) says rescue teams searching the Sednaya Prison have found the bodies of 15 civilians who were killed after experiencing “brutal torture”.

The London-based monitor said it had documented the deaths of 69 civilians in Syrian government prisons since the beginning of 2024, due to torture and lack of access to healthcare.

The report came as Syrians continue to flock to prisons in search of their missing loved ones. Earlier, the family of renowned Syrian activist Mazen al-Hamada said his body had been found at Sednaya.

Crowds gather at Sednaya Prison awaiting news of missing loved ones


<sub>An aerial view shows crowds gathering at the infamous Sednaya military prison, just north of Damascus, Syria, on Monday


The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bodies of 15 people had been found at the prison</sub>

Al Jazeera gains access to hospital where bodies of torture victims were taken to

Al Jazeera’s Omar al-Hajj has gained entry to the Harasta Military Hospital in the Damascus countryside, which employees and witnesses said was used as an assembling point for bodies of people who either died under torture or were executed.

“The scene here is horrific. The smell is unbearable,” al-Hajj said, reporting from the hospital’s mortuary. “Some bodies show clear signs of recent torture. I can see some fresh bloodstains and names written on the white body covers,” he said.

_{People look through documents as they search for prisoners underground at Sednaya prison}

HTS vows to pursue top military figures ‘implicated in war crimes’

Ahmed al-Sharaa, the HTS chief who is also known as al-Julani, has issued a statement saying the group will seek “just retribution” for senior military and security officers “implicated in war crimes”.

These include soldiers who have fled the country, he said.

“We will not hesitate to hold accountable the criminals, murderers, security and army officers involved in torturing the Syrian people,” al-Sharaa said, promising rewards for information on those involved in the abuses.

He added that the offer of an amnesty remained in place for soldiers “who were in compulsory service” and “whose hands are not stained with the blood of the Syrian people”.

Lebanon must not be refuge for Syrian officials, Lebanese party warns

The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) calls on Lebanese state institutions to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for Syrian officials who are responsible for crimes, citing reports that leading figures in Bashar al-Assad’s regime had fled to Lebanon.

“After news of some leaders of the ousted regime in Syria fleeing to Lebanon through legal crossings, or crossing from Lebanon to other countries, the Progressive Socialist Party warns of the danger of turning Lebanon into a safe haven for those responsible for many crimes against Lebanese and Syrians,” the PSP, led by Lebanon’s Jumblatt family, said in a statement.

The statement added that measures must taken so that Lebanon “does not bear legal and political repercussions”.

Lebanon says will deal with ex-Syrian officials according to law

Amid suggestions online about former Syrian officials being in Lebanon, the office of Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has issued a statement seeking to clarify that it would deal with any potential cases based on the law.

The Lebanese government’s policy has consistently adhered to Lebanese and international laws, particularly in the context of Lebanon hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians, it said in the statement.

Mikati is “closely following” the issue and is in contact with top judicial and security officials, his office said.

It added that any cases will be dealt with by “what is required by the laws and regulations in force, under the supervision of the competent judiciary and in a manner that secures the interests of Lebanon and the Lebanese and the future of relations with the Syrian people”.

Up to one million people displaced inside Syria since November 27

The UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) says between 800,000 and one million people have been displaced inside Syria since the opposition forces launched their offensive to topple al-Assad.

This number includes 150,000 “experiencing secondary displacement”, it said. Women and girls comprise nearly half of the figure, it reported.

“The security situation in Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Homs and Damascus remains dynamic. There are multiple overlapping population movements, including major internal displacement within Syria, some IDPs returning home, movements out of Syria, and relatively small numbers of refugee returns,” it said.

The agency noted that more than 13 million Syrians have fled their homes over the country’s 14-year war, while 90 percent of the people there require some form of humanitarian assistance.

Mohammed al-Bashir appointed caretaker Syrian PM

Mohammed al-Bashir has been appointed caretaker prime minister of the transitional Syrian government until March 1, 2025, he said in a televised statement.

Al-Bashir has close ties to the HTS – the group that led the Damascus takeover – and heads their Idlib-based Syrian Salvation Government.

Over 130,000 Syrians waiting for asylum application results: UNHCR

The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has told Al Jazeera that 131,574 Syrians across Europe were waiting for a response on their asylum applications.

Since al-Assad’s fall, Germany, UK, Italy and Austria have paused asylum claims from Syrians, meaning more than 85,000 applications have so far been put on hold, data provided by the agency shows.

“The suspension of processing of asylum applications from Syrians is acceptable as long as people can apply for asylum and are able to lodge asylum applications,” a spokesperson for UNHCR told Al Jazeera via email. “Once conditions in Syria are clearer, UNHCR will provide guidance to states on the international protection needs of relevant profiles of Syrians at risk,” the agency said.

Meanwhile, “Syrian asylum-seekers who are waiting for a resumption of decision-making on their claims should continue to be granted the same rights as all other asylum-seekers, including in terms of reception conditions”, UNHCR added.

“No asylum-seeker should be forcibly returned, as this would violate the non-refoulement obligation on States.”