Syria Says Israeli Air Strikes Injured 2 Soldiers

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Facts

  • On Monday, Israel reportedly launched an air attack on military posts in Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor region, leading to 'the injury of two soldiers and some material losses,' according to Syrian state news agency SANA.1
  • According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, unidentified warplanes targeted three positions of Iranian-backed militias near the Syria-Iraq border.1
  • This comes two days after the Israeli Defense Forces allegedly targeted an Iranian weapons shipment near Damascus en route to Lebanon.2
  • The airstrikes also come as tensions in Deir ez-Zor have escalated due to frequent clashes between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which controls eastern Deir ez-Zor, and local tribal militias.3
  • In recent years, Israel has launched multiple airstrikes inside government-controlled Syria — including attacks on the Damascus and Aleppo airports — though it rarely acknowledges the operations.4
  • Israel often targets military infrastructure in Syria, reportedly to counter Iran's presence. Last month, Syria's state news agency claimed that Israeli airstrikes on the Mediterranean port city of Tartous killed two soldiers.5

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2Iran international, 3Al mayadeen english, 4FOX News and 5Reuters.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Foreign Affairs. Israel has been conducting airstrikes against suspected Iranian weapons transfers and personnel and its proxies in Syria for almost a decade. Though the strikes are part of a low-intensity conflict to slow Iran's growing entrenchment in Syria, the West has seemingly dropped its previous diplomacy plan to allow Israel and other allies to use military force to settle their grievances with Tehran. This risky strategy underestimates the potential magnitude and repercussions of a military escalation.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Al. Syria is a conflict zone involving multiple actors, potentially causing the 'shadow war' to worsen. Meanwhile, Iran — in coordination with Russia and controlling much of the Syrian airspace — risks pushing the conflict over the edge. Israel has been clear that it won't permit Iran to freely move weapons and fighters through Syria if such activities threaten Israeli security. Israel has justified targeting Iranian assets in any country where Tehran has dug its tentacles.

Predictions