Army: Israeli Missiles, Rockets Land Inside Syria

The Syrian army said Israel fired a number of rockets and missiles on Syrian territory early on Tuesday, without causing casualties, Reuters reported.

In a statement, the army said Israeli jets fired missiles on the al-Qutaifa area near Damascus. The Syrian air force purportedly struck one Israeli plane in retaliation for the attack.

Syrian Republican Guard units are known to have major outposts in al-Qutaifa, according to the Associated Press.

Israel then launched ground-to-ground rockets from its positions in the Golan Heights. The Syrian army claimed that its defenses intercepted one of the rockets, Reuters said.

Israel also purportedly fired four rockets from inside Israeli territory. The Syrian army said that it succeeded in bringing one of the rockets down but missed the other three, which caused material damage, Reuters reported.

Israeli officials have yet to comment on the attack.

The Syrian military described the strikes as a “flagrant Israeli aggression,” the AP reported.

This is not the first time Israel has targeted Syrian territory. Israel claims it has struck arms convoys for the Syrian army and Lebanese Hezbollah more than 100 times since the conflict started.

Tuesday’s attack comes more than a week after pro-government forces captured more territory near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Pro-Government Forces Capture String of Villages in Idlib

Syrian troops and allied forces captured 14 villages from rebels in northwest Syria on Monday as they advanced toward a strategic military airbase in the only province under complete opposition control, the Associated Press reported.

Monday’s advance brought pro-government forces closer to the Abu Zuhour air base in Idlib province, which rebels captured in 2015.

The push comes one day after the Syrian army said it had captured the strategic town of Sinjar in eastern Idlib from insurgents.

Russian and Syrian government warplanes have supported the ground offensive with a barrage of airstrikes on rebel-held areas in southern Idlib in recent days.

Citing the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the AP said that shelling and airstrikes have killed at least 21 people since Sunday.

The government has escalated its attacks on Idlib, which is designated a de-escalation zone, following almost two weeks of battles with al-Qaida-linked militants in southern Idlib and adjacent territory in northern Hama.

Moscow Claims Russian Bases in Syria Came Under Attack by Armed Drones

Russia’s defense ministry on Monday claimed that its air and naval bases in western Syria came under attack by 13 armed drones over the weekend, the New York Times reported.

A statement released on the military’s Facebook page said that the small drones were destroyed before they could lead to any casualties or material damage.

Ten of the assault drones were directed toward the Hmeimim airbase in northwestern Syria, the NYT said. The other three had flown toward the Russian naval base in Tartus.

The defense ministry said that seven of the drones were shot down while the other six crashed or landed outside the base. Russia claimed that this was the first such drone attack against its bases in Syria since it entered the conflict in 2015.

An unidentified Islamist group operating in rural Latakia province is believed to have launched three of the drones, the NYT said.

“The attack could indicate that militants opposed to the government of President Bashar al-Assad were stepping up the violence directed against the Russian military,” the NYT said.

Recommended Reads

• Foreign Policy: Dancing to Russia’s Tune in Syria
• Al-Monitor: Turkey Is Becoming New Hub for Salafist-Jihadi Exodus From Syria
• Deutsche Welle: As Syrian War Nears End, Some Can Never Go Home Again
• Agence France-Presse: Syria Regime Takes on Two Rebel Bastions
• The Los Angeles Times: Feminism, Syria-Style: Conservative Tribesmen Freed From Islamic State Emerge Into a World Where Women Have Rights