Israeli Airstrikes Target ‘Iranian Weapons and Ammunition Depot’ Near Damascus

The Israeli military targeted a weapons and ammunition depot near Damascus airport, the capital of Syria, in the early hours of Thursday, April 27th. Reuters news agency identifies this depot as belonging to Iran.

Reuters, citing an “intelligence official in the region” who spoke on condition of anonymity, states that the weapons and ammunition depot located near Damascus airport was under the supervision of Lebanese Hezbollah forces.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera news network, citing sources within the Syrian opposition, reports that a total of “five strikes” were carried out targeting this depot, which is located 25 kilometers from Damascus city.

The French news agency, citing Lebanon’s Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar television, describes the “likely” cause of the “massive” explosion on Thursday as “Israeli airstrikes.”

Al-Manar identified the target of the strike as “a depot and fuel tankers,” but did not specify which group it belonged to.

Al Jazeera also published statements from Israel’s intelligence minister confirming these strikes, citing Israeli army radio.

Israel Katz, Israel’s intelligence minister, who is currently in the United States, stated that the recent strikes were carried out in line with “Israel’s policy to prevent the smuggling of advanced weapons to Iran for Hezbollah.”

The Israeli minister provided no further clarification, and according to Al Jazeera’s report, the country’s army spokesperson also refrained from elaborating.

On the other hand, as Reuters reported, the depot targeted Thursday morning is the final destination for “a significant portion” of weapons and ammunition that Iran sends to Syria “via civilian and military aircraft.”

Neither the authorities of the Islamic Republic nor Syrian government officials have commented on the matter so far.

During Syria’s ongoing civil war, which has continued for more than six years, several reports have been published of Israeli strikes on depots and Hezbollah and Iranian forces, with Israel never explicitly taking responsibility for any of these strikes.

For instance, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced in December 2014 that one of its commanders was killed in a strike by “an Israeli helicopter” in the Quneitra region of Syria.

A day earlier, Lebanese Hezbollah announced on December 28th that one of its commanders and five members of the group were killed in a strike by Israeli helicopters on the Golan Heights.

In this context, Israel’s ambassador to Russia previously threatened that if Iran or Iranian proxy groups in the region attempt to create a “second front” against Israel from the Golan Heights in Syrian territory, Israel would respond against them “without delay.”

Source: Radio Farda