Syrian air defenses intercepted Israeli missiles targeting military sites in the Qusayr area of Homs province in central Syria early Thursday, according to Syrian state media, marking the second Israeli airstrike on Syria this week. The official Syrian news agency (SANA) reported a military source stating that early Thursday "the Israeli enemy launched an aerial attack from northeast Beirut targeting several points in the Qusayr area of western Homs."
The source added, "Our air defense systems intercepted most of the missiles and limited the damage to material losses." Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that "the Israeli strikes targeted military sites belonging to Hezbollah in the area of the Dabaa military airport and Qusayr" in western Homs.
Hezbollah engaged in its first public battles against Syrian opposition factions in Qusayr in 2013. The Syrian government forces, supported mainly by Hezbollah, regained control of the area in June of that year following a fierce battle.
According to the Observatory, the Israeli strikes on Thursday resulted in the destruction of weapon and ammunition depots at the targeted sites. This week’s strikes are the second, as on Monday at least five Iran-aligned fighters were killed in an Israeli attack on locations they were stationed in Aleppo province to the north, according to the Observatory.
The official Syrian media also reported that Syrian air defenses intercepted Israeli missiles over eastern Aleppo and "shot down most of them." In recent years, Israel has conducted dozens of airstrikes in Syria, targeting Syrian army positions, Iranian objectives, and sites related to Hezbollah.
Israel rarely confirms its operations in Syria, but the Israeli army indicated in its annual report that it struck around 50 targets in Syria during 2020, without providing specific details. Israel continues to assert that it will maintain its efforts against what it describes as Iranian attempts to entrench its military presence in Syria.
Syria has been embroiled in a bloody conflict since 2011, leading to the deaths of around half a million people, massive destruction of infrastructure, and the displacement of millions of people both within the country and abroad.
