Israeli air forces conducted over 100 airstrikes on military sites across four Syrian cities, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and reports from the Associated Press.
These attacks, which left two people dead and inflicted substantial damage, targeted various strategic locations including research centers, weapons depots, airports, and aircraft units. The strikes also disabled air defense systems and rendered several facilities non-operational.
The Barzeh Scientific Research Centre in Damascus, a site previously targeted in 2018 by a US-led coalition over alleged chemical weapons activities, was among the facilities hit. An Associated Press reporter observed plumes of smoke rising from Barzeh, with explosions also reported at weapon storage sites. Heavy blasts were heard throughout the capital city.
In the coastal city of Latakia, the strikes damaged a Syrian air defense site, naval vessels, and warehouses close to the port, the UK-based Syrian Observatory reported. Military positions and storage facilities in rural western and northern areas of Daraa in southwestern Syria were also struck, resulting in two fatalities.
The Israeli military did not comment on the airstrikes. However, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, said earlier on Monday that the operations aimed to target suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rocket facilities to prevent their use by hostile groups.
