Latest Developments
• Hundreds of Strikes: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on December 10 reported ‘hundreds’ of bombing sorties by Israeli warplanes against abandoned Syrian military weapons and facilities since the weekend ouster of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Israel’s Army Radio put the number of strikes at 300, noting that these included missile-boat salvoes to destroy Syrian naval craft and bases on the Mediterranean coast. In addition to chemical weapons facilities and advanced missile and air-defense systems, the blitz targeted Syria’s MiG fighter squadron. “Everything Assad got from Iran and Russia in recent years has been destroyed,” said Nir Dvori, defense editor for Israel’s Channel 12 TV.
• False Reports of Israeli Tanks Advancing on Damascus: The IDF has not commented on the Syria strikes, but it did push back on December 10 against media reports that its tanks, which entered a formerly UN-run buffer zone east of the Golan Heights over the weekend, had reached as far as the southwestern outskirts of Damascus. “The reports circulating in the media about the alleged advancement of Israeli tanks towards Damascus are false,” the statement said. “IDF troops are stationed within the buffer zone, as stated in the past.”
• Rebels Try to Calm Concern: In a statement, Syria’s new, rebel-appointed quasi-government sought to calm international concern about the most menacing elements of Assad’s arsenal. “We have no intention or desire to use chemical weapons or any weapons of mass-destruction under any circumstances,” it said in a statement.
FDD Expert Response
“The war of survival that Israel has been waging since October 7 last year has turned into a war of strategic success. After decimating Hamas’s military capabilities in the Gaza Strip and severely degrading those of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Israelis are now teaching the world how to deal with post-coup uncertainties in the Middle East. Syria’s people deserve to start afresh after ridding themselves of Assad, and Israel deserves a Syria cleansed of strategic weapons that might threaten it.” — Mark Dubowitz, CEO
“Hafez al-Assad, father of Bashar, spent 30 years and vast amounts of money to build up his conventional forces and chemical weapons arsenal for a potential showdown with Israel. His mission was not defense, but to avenge his defeats in 1967 and 1973, in wars that Arab nations forced on Israel. The weapons also proved useful to both Hafez and Bashar for crushing internal dissent and bullying their neighbors in Lebanon. If Syria’s new rulers plan to be at peace with the people and at peace with the country’s neighbors, they have little reason to regret the loss of the military equipment Israel has destroyed.” —David Adesnik, Vice President of Research
“Observers of Middle East conflicts should not underestimate the importance of Israel’s recent air campaign targeting military installations in Syria. This operation may represent the most extensive assault on what was once the Syrian Armed Forces since the Six-Day War. Central to this campaign are Israel’s concerns regarding the potential pilfering of advanced arms and chemical weapons to jihadist groups. By launching these strikes, Israel may have mitigated a future security threat. However, should the new Syrian government adopt a non-threatening posture toward Israel, the Jewish state will likely respond in kind.” —Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal
FDD Background and Analysis
“‘Serious Concerns’: Israel Strikes Chemical Weapons Sites in Syria After Fall of Assad Regime,” FDD Flash Brief
“‘Temporary Defensive Position’: Israel Takes Control of Golan Buffer Zone,” FDD Flash Brief
“‘A Historic Day in the Middle East’: Bashar al-Assad Flees to Russia as Rebels Take Syrian Capital,” FDD Flash Brief