Latakia Port Near Russia's Hmeimim Base In Syria Targeted By IDF Airstrikes: 'Massive Damage'

Israeli airstrikes said to hit key Syrian port of Latakia, causing ‘massive’ damage

TOI STAFF

Syrian state media said Israeli warplanes fired missiles on the port of the coastal city of Latakia early Tuesday causing large explosions and fires, the second alleged strike in a month on the key facility.

SANA, Syria’s state media, quoted an unnamed military official as saying that several missiles struck the container area in the port, setting some of them on fire. He said the strikes caused “massive material damage.”

The strikes came from the direction of the Mediterranean, he said.

The official said efforts were still underway to put out fires and assess the damage. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the attack, which activated Syrian air defenses, according to SANA.

Videos posted to social media showed huge explosions and fires raging across the port.

There was no comment from the Israel Defense Forces.

Syria’s state-run Al-Ikhbariyah TV ran footage showing flames and smoke rising from the terminal. It reported damage to residential buildings, a hospital, shops and some tourist sites near the port.

An Al-Ikhbariyah TV reporter in the area said Tuesday’s attack appeared to have been larger than the strike earlier this month and the explosions could be heard in Tartus, another coastal city more than 80 kilometers (nearly 50 miles) away. The reporter said ambulances were rushed to the scene but it remained unclear if there were any casualties.

Until earlier this month, strikes on the port of Latakia were highly irregular. The port is a vital facility where much of Syria’s imports are brought into the war-torn country and through which Iran reportedly brings in weapons to its militias in the country, including the Lebanese terrorist army Hezbollah.

Videos: Latakia Port Near Russia's Hmeimim Base in Syria Targeted by IDF Airstrikes - Reports

Kirill Kurevlev

Syrian media regularly report on air and missile attacks aimed at the territory of the country, sometimes resulting in casualties. The Syrian side attributes responsibility for the attacks to the Israeli Air Force, but Israel rarely comments on its operations.

Syria's air defenses are repelling an alleged Israeli air attack aimed at the port of Latakia,, the country's state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday.

According to reports from the area, with alleged photos shared online, several major explosions and fires were spotted at the site of the attack. Some witnesses allegedly claimed to have heard the missiles flying over the area.

According to unconfirmed reports, the target of the airstrike could be the supply of weapons located in the port. There are reports of 3-4 explosions at the site, with photos of the alleged fire being circulated on social networks.

No casualties have been reported at the moment. But shortly after the attack, SANA reported that several port containers were burnt as a result of the explosion.

Reports from the area noted that air defense forces were used to repel an air attack by the Syrian Armed Forces, and not surface-to-air missile systems.

In early November, the Israel Defense Forces again declined to comment to Sputnik on allegations of purported Israeli attacks in the Damascus suburbs.