Israel confirms overnight air strike on Syria’s capital

An unnamed, reportedly senior Israeli official has confirmed that a second air-strike was made against Syria on Saturday night, according to Euronews. The attack is the second of its kind in three days.

The Syrian state news agency, Sana, had earlier reported that a target near Damascus had been struck, what is thought to be a military scientific research centre in Jamraya. This same facility was targeted by Israel back in January.

Reuters has reported a western intelligence source as saying: “In last night’s attack, as in the previous one, what was attacked were stores of Fateh-110 missiles that were in transit to Hezbollah.”

The Fateh-110 missiles would be a “game-changer” according to missiles experts as they would allow Hezbollah to carry out accurate missile attacks across Israel.

Syria’s President, Bachar al-Assad, is a supporter of Hezbollah and Syria is an important strategic link between Hezbollah and its other major ally, Iran.

Although Israel’s intentions thus far have reportedly been to prevent anything that would embolden Hezbollah, this second strike does raise the question as to whether Israel may be preparing to fully engage itself in Syria’s civil war.

It was an Israeli official who initially reported that the Assad regime was using chemical weapons, indeed Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has increasingly been agitating for foreign intervention in Syria.

Joe Turnbull