Syria State Media Reports Israeli Aircraft Strike Military Post In Hama Province - Several Buildings Destroyed

Syria says Israeli aircraft strike military post in western Hama province

Syrian state media said that Israeli aircraft had carried out a strike on military targets near the city of Masyaf in western Hama province overnight Friday.

Syria’s official state news agency SANA said the Israeli Air Force had fired missiles from Lebanese air space and said that several buildings had been destroyed and three people injured.

The report claimed that Syrian air defenses had shot down several missiles.

Earlier, the news agency had reported explosions in the area’s countryside.

In February, an Israeli satellite imagery analysis company said that Syria’s powerful S-300 air defense system was “probably operational” in the area of Masyaf, where Friday’s strike reportedly occurred. The system would be potential threat to Israel’s aerial campaign against Iran in the country.

The firm, ImageSat International, based this assessment on multiple images of the anti-aircraft battery, which showed three of its four launchers in a raised position, signaling that they are likely ready to be used by the Syrian military.

Israel has threatened to destroy the S-300 system if it is used against its fighter jets, regardless of the potential blowback Jerusalem would face from Russia, which provided Syria with the powerful air defense battery.

Last month, Israel allegedly attacked Iranian targets near northern city of Aleppo. SANA said the airstrike targeted several bases near an industrial zone by the airport and that air defenses had managed to intercept several incoming missiles.

Acting Foreign Minister Israel Katz appeared to confirm last month’s attack, saying in an interview with Israel Radio that “as far as Iran knows, it’s Israel” that carried out the strike, and went on to say that it was a “challenging” operation to perform.

The strikes come at a time of heightened tension between Israel and Syria, following last month’s decision by the US administration to recognize Israel’s control over the Golan Heights it captured from Syria in 1967. The decision sparked  condemnation and protests in Syria.