Syrian air defense shot down several Israeli missiles
DAMASCUS, ($1=1,257.86 Syrian Pounds) – The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that on September 2, at 1:26 a.m., Israel launched an airstrike through its air force. According to the agency, the Israeli Air Force attacked from southeastern Beirut, using Lebanese airspace.
“After midnight, the Syrian Arab Army’s air defenses faced Israeli aggression with missiles in the vicinity of Damascus and shot down most of the enemy missiles,” SANA said. According to a source in the Syrian news agency, the targets of Israeli missiles were some points on the outskirts of Damascus.
The Britain-based Observatory for Human Rights reports that the targets of the Israeli strikes were in the vicinity of Damascus, where there is intelligence about pro-Iranian militias developing weapons at certain points.
There is no official confirmation from Israel about the air attack. However, the Israeli military has no practice of disclosing such information, even if it is a fact. The Israeli Ministry of Defense discloses its participation only in operations aimed at revenge for past attacks on Israelis, Israeli facilities, or Israeli-flagged sites.
Blast in Tel Aviv
Although Israel has not officially commented on the night airstrike on Damascus, it has officially confirmed that the Israeli air force is investigating a blast heard near Tel Aviv.
According to sources, the IDF suggests that a Syrian missile from the country’s air defense systems, which went astray or did not hit the target, fell in the vicinity of Tel Aviv. No casualties or damage were reported.
BulgarianMilitary.com reminds you that the Israeli Air Defense Iron Dome is made up of complex mathematical algorithms for calculating the supposed territory of the enemy missile. This system is activated only in the case when the calculations show that it will affect a populated or important infrastructural place. If the rocket is expected to fall into the sea or a field, the Iron Dome is not activated.
The civil war in Syria
The Syrian civil war has been going on for almost a decade. Attempts by movements such as the Syrian Democratic Forces to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have failed.
The Syrian democratic forces are armed by allies and the United States, while the Syrian army is armed mainly by Russia. Russia is the only country officially invited to Syria by President Bashar al-Assad.
In 2017, the United States launched a massive missile strike on Bashar al-Assad’s forces after a report emerged that the Syrian president had used chemical weapons to attack his people in the country. Syria and Russia deny such actions.
During his tenure, US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw much of US troops from Syria, leaving several troops to guard Syria’s oil fields on the pretext of “falling into the hands of Islamic State.”
With the withdrawal of the United States, Turkey comes to the fore, declaring it necessary to deal with the Kurds and the PKK movement in the northern part of the country, which borders Turkey. That is why Erdogan is sending troops in an attempt to build a stable and secure 30km zone between Syria and Turkey, which will prevent future terrorist attacks on Turkish territory, as it is.
Ceasefire
In February 2020, Turkey lost at least 62 troops killed in Syria. Nearly 100 soldiers were wounded, Syrian-backed forces destroyed dozens of Turkish armored vehicles, and more than ten drones, including drones, were shot down. Washington has repeatedly accused Moscow of involvement in the deaths of Turkish soldiers, Russia rejects these allegations.
In early March 2020, the presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed that a ceasefire came into force in the Idlib de-escalation zone. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad later said that if the US and Turkish military did not leave the country, Damascus would use military power.
The reason for the Russian-Turkish negotiations was a sharp aggravation of the situation in Idlib, where in January, a large-scale offensive by the Syrian army against the positions of the armed opposition and terrorists began.
Government forces recaptured nearly half of the Idlib de-escalation zone and left behind several Turkish observation posts. After that, Ankara sharply increased its military contingent in the region and launched the operation “Spring Shield” to push the Syrian troops. Militants are loyal to Ankara and support Turkey.
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