Israeli forces carried out a raid on a former air-defence base in southern Syria on Wednesday, marking their deepest operation in the country since Bashar al-Assad was ousted last December. The airbase, near al-Kiswah, roughly 10 kilometres south of Damascus, had previously served as a strategic hub for Iranian militias under Assad’s rule. Syrian state media reported that six Syrian troops were killed the day before while dismantling Israeli listening and spying devices found at the site.
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Israeli warplanes and drones blocked Syrian forces from accessing the area until late Wednesday night, after which the Israeli troops had departed. According to a Syrian military source, dozens of Israeli soldiers arrived in four helicopters and remained for over two hours, though their exact actions remain unclear. Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, stated on X that forces were “operating in all combat zones day and night for the security of Israel,” providing no further details.
The Syrian foreign ministry condemned the strikes, labelling them a violation of international law and Syria’s sovereignty. Since Assad’s ousting, Israel has conducted numerous attacks on weapons depots and military bases, even entering the UN-monitored buffer zone separating the countries and establishing positions there. Israel has warned Syria’s new government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, that it will not tolerate military deployments in southern Syria.
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Wednesday’s bombings occurred amid high-level security talks between Syrian and Israeli officials, including meetings in Paris and Azerbaijan, with US special envoy Tom Barrack mediating. The discussions aim to establish a security framework to curb Israeli strikes and guarantee safety for Israel, while also addressing the rights of Syria’s Druze population. Both sides have expressed a desire for peace, though Syrian officials emphasised that current negotiations remain focused solely on security matters.
