Syria says Israel bombed military base

Israeli soldiers manuever a tank during a military exercise in the northern part of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Airstrikes targeted a Syrian research facility. (AFP)

BEIRUT: The Syrian Army has accused Israel of bombing a military base in Hama province near the town of Masyaf, according to a statement issued on Thursday.
Israeli warplanes reportedly launched missiles from Lebanese airspace, causing significant damage and two deaths.
They targeted the Masyaf military base, which is 70 km from the Russian-run Hmeimim air base on the Mediterranean coast.
The statement said that “this aggression comes in a desperate attempt to raise the collapsed morale of Daesh terrorists after the sweeping victories achieved by the Syrian Army against terrorism (on) more than one front, and it confirms the direct support provided by the Israeli entity to Daesh and other terrorist organizations.”
The Syrian Army command warned that “such attacks will have dangerous repercussions on the security and stability of the region,” and stressed that “it is determined to eradicate terrorism from all Syrian territories.”
Reuters quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying that the attack might be related to the alleged manufacture of chemical weapons.
It said that Israel targeted the Scientific Studies and Research Center, which Washington describes as “Syria’s chemical weapons manufacturer.”
The observatory added that the strikes have also hit a military camp used to store ground-to-ground rockets and where Iranian personnel and members of Hezbollah have been seen several times.
“The total number of casualties resulting from the air strike amounted to seven persons,” the observatory said.
The apparent Israeli strike came the morning after UN investigators said that the Syrian government was responsible for the sarin poison gas attack that took place in April.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was visiting Israel two weeks ago, that Iran was building sites to produce precision-guided missiles in Syria and Lebanon.
Reuters said that an Israeli army spokeswoman declined to discuss reports of a strike in Syria.
The Israeli Channel 1 reported that “Israel targeted a long-range missile production plant in the Syrian town of Masyaf in Hama.” Israeli media quoted Israeli political onlookers as saying that “the strike in Syria is a message to Iran.”
Yaakov Amidror, a retired Israeli general and former national security adviser, told reporters that he believed that Thursday’s strike was linked to a visit by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to Damascus. He added that “weapons systems have been transferred from this organization (the Scientific Studies and Research Center) into the hands of Hezbollah (over) the years.”
Israel considers the shipments of anti-aircraft and surface-to-surface missiles, as well as non-conventional weapons, as crossing the red line.
Amos Yadlin, the former head of Israeli military intelligence, tweeted that “the attack was not routine and it targeted a Syrian military scientific center.”
He added: “The facility targeted in Masyaf was producing chemical weapons and barrel bombs that have killed thousands of Syrian civilians. Israel wanted to send a message that the country intends to enforce its red lines when it comes to protecting itself (and) the presence of Russian air defense will not hinder Israeli attacks.”
Israeli jets penetrated Lebanese airspace at the same time of the strike in Syria.
The Lebanese army announced that “an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft violated Lebanese airspace over the town of Kafr Kila on Wednesday and circled over the areas of Riyak and Baalbek, and then left the Lebanese airspace from Rmeish. Again, it breached the Lebanese airspace in the afternoon over Rmeish and circled over the southern region, then left before midnight from Alma Al-Shaab.”
Lebanese military sources reported that “four jets crossed the Lebanese airspace around 3 a.m. on Thursday, coming from the seaside toward the barrens of Jbeil (Byblos) and then reached Bekaa. Another four jets had raided the town of Masyaf in the countryside of Hama in Syria.”
Israel is this week conducting its largest military drill in 20 years, near the borders with Lebanon.