Israel carried out air strikes in Syria near the government-held city of Homs, Syrian state media reported on Sunday, and the Israeli army later said it had responded to rocket fire.
During more than a decade of war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on Syrian territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions.
“The Israeli enemy carried out air strikes coming from the northeast of Beirut, targeting some points in the vicinity of the city of Homs,” which is about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Lebanon, Syrian state-run news agency SANA said, quoting a military source.
In a statement several hours later on Sunday morning, the Israeli military confirmed it had conducted strikes. It said they targeted “an anti-aircraft battery in Syria, as a response to the launch of an anti-aircraft rocket from Syria into Israeli territory”.
It added that Israeli F-16 jets had also “struck additional Bavar-373 anti-air missile in the area”, and that the Syrian anti-aircraft rocket had “exploded in the air” and no injuries were reported.
The Bavar-373 is a reverse engineered copy of Russian S-300PMU2 surface-to-air missile, capable to launch the Iranian-made Sayyad-4B which is an upgraded version of the Sayyad-4 missile a two-stage, solid-fueled interceptor missile. The missile is designed to engage and intercept incoming aerial targets at ranges of up to 120 km, and at an altitude of up to 20 km.
The Sayyad-4B missile reportedly features an new seeker, and control system, and a heavy warhead. The Sayyad-4B has 60% effectiveness against a wide range of targets, including cruise missiles, drones, and aircraft.
Citing information from Newsweek magazine, over the past two years the Israeli air force has carried out several aerial attacks on Syrian territory including in Palmyra and Tartus in October 2021, Latakia in December 2021, Damascus in March 2022, an additional strike in Tartus in July 2022, and two strikes in Homs in November and December of 2022.
The Israeli F-16 has been deceiving Russian and Iranian anti-air missiles using Rafael Skyshield electronic warfare. The Israeli air force has been using AGM-88E HARM anti-radiation missiles against Iranian targets in Syria.
SANA had reported that Syrian air defences intercepted some missiles, and that there had been some “material” losses.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said the targeted area in the northeastern Homs countryside was a Hezbollah stronghold housing arms depots belonging to the Iran-backed group.
Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, but it has repeatedly said it will not allow its arch foe Iran to expand its footprint there.
On June 14, Israel carried out air strikes near Damascus wounding a soldier, according to SANA.
The Observatory, based in Britain, said at the time that the strikes had targeted arms depots belonging to pro-Iran fighters.
© 2023, GDC. © GDC and www.globaldefensecorp.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to www.globaldefensecorp.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.