Israeli Air Raids on Syria Since Start of Civil War

The Syrian T-4 base was attacked by two Israeli jets on April 9, 2018, according to the Russian and Syrian militaries, and reportedly claimed the lives of 14 soldiers. Tel Aviv hasn’t confirmed or denied this information. Sputnik recalls other Israeli airstrikes against Syria over the years.

2013

It all began with hitting a military convoy on January 30, 2013 on the Damascus-Beirut highway, which was allegedly carrying weapons for Hezbollah. Tel Aviv didn't confirm the information. Later the same year, several unidentified aircraft performed airstrikes on May 3 and 5. The first strike targeted a warehouse at Damascus International Airport which reportedly contained surface-to-surface missiles. The second strike targeted several locations across Syria, including the Al-Dimas air base. Various sources estimate the Syrian army's casualties between 42 and 300.

2014

Damascus International Airport was targeted again the following year, specifically its military area called Al-Dimas. A series of airstrikes launched on December 7, 2014, destroyed weapons depots in hangars and, according to some sources, killed 3 Hezbollah fighters. Israel again didn't confirm or deny the allegations of carrying out the strike, although it admitted hitting Syrian troops on June 23 the same year, which took the lives of at least ten soldiers.

READ MORE: 'Our Policies Not Changed Even a Bit': Netanyahu on Israeli Strikes in Syria

2015

Another strike took place on August 20, 2015, when the Israeli air force attacked several locations in Syria, including the bases of the 68^th and 90^th brigades. The next day another strike was launched, hitting a vehicle and killing 4-5 civilians, according to information from the Syrian government. Tel Aviv confirmed involvement in the incident, claiming it was a strike against Hezbollah forces.

2017

The Syrian army's military site in Palmyra was hit by Israeli jets on March 17, 2016 under the pretext of destroying a weapons shipment for Hezbollah in Lebanon. The strike was reportedly responded to by Syrian air defense systems shooting down one of the planes, although mutually contradictory accounts by the IDF refuted that report.

READ MORE: 'Era of Hit and Run Is Over': Iranian Official on Israeli Strikes in Syria

Later the same year, the IDF performed several other airstrikes, hitting Damascus Airport, a missile battery near the country's capital and a scientific research center in Damascus.

2018

Retaliating for an alleged Iranian drone incursion over Israeli territory, the IDF launched an airstrike against its positions on Syria's territory on February 10, costing them one of their jets. The loss of an aircraft over Syrian territory prompted another attack against the country, claiming lives of between 6 and 10 soldiers, according to various sources and damaging 12 sites.