IDF Airstrikes Target Advanced Military Infrastructure in Southern Syria
Overnight (Monday to Tuesday), the Israeli Air Force conducted a widespread series of airstrikes in southern Syria, particularly in the key city of Daraa. The primary targets of the operation were specialized installations within military bases that, until recently, had been used by the ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s forces. These included radar systems, aerial surveillance equipment, advanced weaponry, storage facilities, and command centers.
According to the IDF Spokesperson, “Air Force fighter jets struck radar installations and detection systems used to construct an aerial intelligence picture, as well as military command centers and facilities containing weaponry and military equipment belonging to the Syrian regime in southern Syria. The presence of these assets in southern Syria poses a threat to the State of Israel and IDF operations. These targets were attacked to eliminate future threats.”
Sectarian Tensions in Syria’s Changing Landscape
These strikes take place against the backdrop of significant developments surrounding Syria’s new regime, particularly among the country’s three major ethnic minorities—the Kurds in the northeast, the Alawites in the west, and the Druze in the south. Yesterday, reports emerged that Syria, under the leadership of Abu Mohammad al-Julani, had reached an agreement with the autonomous Kurdish forces (SDF), integrating them peacefully into the newly formed Syrian army. This agreement comes despite the Kurds having been mostly aligned with Assad’s regime in recent years.
The Alawite minority, however, has fared much worse. Over the past weekend, clashes between Alawites and the new regime escalated into a large-scale massacre carried out by al-Julani’s forces, with reports of casualties numbering in the hundreds or even thousands. The massacre served as a stark reminder to the world of the jihadist nature of Syria’s new leadership, undermining al-Julani’s attempts to portray a more moderate image—particularly in the eyes of the Druze minority in the south.
The city of Daraa, where the Israeli strikes were concentrated, is not only the largest Syrian city in the southern Golan region but also the capital of a central province populated mainly by Sunni Arabs, situated between Israel’s border and the Druze Mountain region. In recent weeks, Israeli leadership has publicly affirmed its commitment to ensuring the safety of the Druze population, even through military action if necessary. This latest strike may have been part of that commitment being put into action.
Hadas Amram contributed to this article
