ISW reports on Israel's attack near Russian airbase in Syria
Photo: Israeli drones hit an ammunition depot near a Russian air base in Syria (Getty Images)
On the night of October 2 to 3, Israeli drones attacked an ammunition depot near Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia Province, Syria. At the same time, the strikes were not explicitly directed against the Russian airbase, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Footage released on October 3 shows a fire and secondary detonations at night, likely near the Khmeimim Air Base.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on October 3 that unidentified drone strikes destroyed an ammunition depot located near the airbase close to the city of Jableh. The Observatory claimed that the drone strikes coincided with the presence of Israeli military aircraft in the area and that Syrian and Russian air defense systems attempted to intercept the approaching Israeli missiles for about 40 minutes.
A prominent Russian military blogger linked to the Kremlin noted that Russian air defense systems were activated. He stated that Iranian and Syrian forces used the ammunition depot and that the Israeli strikes were not directed at the Khmeimim Air Base.
The ISW indicated it could not confirm the entity responsible for the strike in Latakia on October 3.
The ISW also recalled monitoring an Israeli strike on a weapons shipment near Jableh on July 9 after an Iranian arms shipment arrived at the nearby port of Latakia.
"Syrian sources claimed that Syrian air defenses intercepted 17 reportedly Israeli missiles near Jableh and Tartus (south of Latakia) and reported explosions near Tartus on September 24, but the actors involved and the result of the strike remain unconfirmed," the ISW states.
Escalation in the Middle East
Notably, the German publication Bild reported a possible Israeli strike on the Khmeimim Air Base. The target of the attack was reportedly a shipment of weapons intended for Hezbollah militants.
Additionally, there has been a significant escalation of hostilities in the Middle East over the past week. The Israel Defense Forces initiated a ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon to push terrorists away from the country’s southern border. The militants responded with intensified strikes on northern Israel.
Furthermore, on October 1, Iran launched hundreds of rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Abbas Nilforushan at the end of September.
