An air assault killed 13 individuals in Damascus on Tuesday night, with Syrian officers laying the blame on Israel.
Israel didn’t take credit score for each assault however has admitted to finishing up a whole lot of raids on targets in Syria.
Right here’s a quick explainer on the dynamic between Syria and Israel over the past yr:
Why did no one hear about this?
As Israel’s navy continues its battle on Gaza, Lebanon, the occupied West Financial institution and Yemen, the assaults on Syria have flown considerably underneath the radar.
Ostensibly an ally of the Iranian regime and a part of the bigger “axis of resistance”, the Syrian regime led by Bashar al-Assad has been conspicuously quiet for the reason that battle on Gaza started final October.
Regardless of this, Israel has attacked Syrian territory a number of instances over the past yr.
What number of instances did Israel bomb Syria within the final yr?
Greater than 220 instances since final October, in response to NGO Armed Battle Location and Occasion Knowledge (ACLED), which aggregates battle information.
The assaults got here through air raids and artillery assaults.
No less than 104 of these assaults – which have killed a minimum of 296 individuals – have been since January, in response to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Israel has hit weapons depots, automobiles, and Iran-backed teams’ headquarters.
Probably the most important assault was in April when Israeli fighter jets hit the Iranian consular constructing in Syria’s capital Damascus, killing seven members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Among the many lifeless have been two generals who led the elite Quds Drive in Syria and Lebanon.
How did Syria reply?
The Syrian authorities have denounced Israeli assaults.
Some rockets have been fired at Israel from Syria, which Israel claims are largely by Iranian-backed teams.
In October 2023, the Israeli navy hit Syrian navy targets however didn’t accuse the Syrian navy of getting fired rockets.
As Israel expanded its battle into Lebanon, and resistance teams from Iraq and Yemen received concerned, Syria largely remained quiet.
Even supposing such assaults are a transparent violation of a nation’s sovereignty, there was little to no response from the worldwide group.
Arab international locations have condemned Israel’s assaults on Syria’s sovereignty in worldwide fora, as has the League of Arab States.
Russia has additionally condemned the assaults, with International Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying Tuesday’s assault was a “gross violation of Syria’s sovereignty”, including: “It’s outrageous that such actions have change into a routine observe utilized to Syria, Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip.”
China has additionally condemned Israel’s assault on Iran’s consular constructing, which underneath worldwide legislation violates the sovereignty of two international locations.
Beijing’s assertion stated: “The safety of diplomatic establishments can’t be violated.”
How can Israel violate one other nation’s sovereignty like this?
Israel unilaterally claims it’s hitting Iranian or Iran-linked targets in Syria, apparently taking that as an affordable rationalization for its actions.
Moreover, america has additionally attacked places in Syria over time, claiming to be focusing on a variety of “Iran-linked” locations and other people.
Israel has made statements to the impact that it’ll proceed placing international locations and entities within the area, based mostly by itself analysis of who it sees as an “enemy”.
Did these assaults begin in October 2023?
No. The Israeli navy has been hitting targets in Syria for many years, with a notable improve since 2011.
In 2017, Israel additional escalated its assaults on Syria, with the newest, most notable escalation coming after October 7, 2023.
