Israel ‘wipes out’ two Syrian airports, attacks military bases used by Turkey

IDF forces kill regime troops in airstrikes across the country, bomb airbases used by Turkey to establish foothold in Syria.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israeli warplanes bombed targets across Syria on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning in a bid to prevent Turkish forces from establishing a foothold in Syrian territory.

Overnight, at least 25 airstrikes were reported, according to the London-based anti-Assad Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, including attacks on the Hama Air Base, a research center in Damascus, and the massive Tiyas Air Base (also known as the T-4 base).

Four soldiers were killed and 12 others injured in the strikes on the Hama Air Base, SOHR reported.

The attacks forced the airbase to halt all operations, the report claimed.

“There is not a single standing structure left,” an Israeli military official told Ma’ariv. “We hit planes, radar systems, control towers, parking aprons, all the runways, every building, and every warehouse—we simply wiped out both airports.”

The two airbases have been at the center of Turkish efforts recently to take expand its control over Syria. Ankara already occupies enclaves inside northern Syria along the Turkish border.

Since the fall of the Assad regime last December, however, and the coup led by a Turkish-backed alliance of rebel forces, the Erdogan government has deployed military assets deep in Syrian territory, raising concerns in Israel of a Turkish takeover of the country.

Following the overnight airstrikes, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the new Syrian regime not to allow foreign military forces to operate in Syrian territory.

“I warn the ruler of Syria, Jolani: If you allow forces hostile to Israel to enter Syria and endanger Israeli security interests—you will pay a very heavy price. The Air Force’s operations are a warning for the future. We will not allow harm to Israel’s security,” Katz said.

“The Air Force’s operations yesterday against the airports in T4, Hama, and the Damascus area are a clear message and a warning for the future—we will not allow harm to Israel’s security,” he continued. “Israel will not allow Syria to become a threat to its communities and security interests.”

In January, a state committee commissioned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Turkey’s involvement in Syria could lead to an escalating proxy war between Israel and Turkey that could eventually develop into a full-blown, direct war.

“The problem would escalate if the Syrian force practically became a ‘Turkish’ proxy, as part of Turkey’s aspirations to restore the Ottoman legacy,” according to the report.