2023 Israel strikes in Syria | |||||||
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Part of the Syrian Civil War and the Iran–Israel proxy conflict | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Israel | Iran |
In April 2023, Israel launched three air strikes in Syria against outposts located in Homs Governorate, resulting in the deaths of two Iranian military advisers and injuring five Syrian soldiers. The Israeli government has refrained from providing any official statements regarding these attacks, but intelligence sources from the Western world claim that the primary target of the strikes was to prevent the supply of weapons to the militias by Iran. According to these sources, Iran allegedly utilizes the T4 airbase and Al-Dabaa airport for this purpose. Iran has denounced the strikes as a violation of Syrian sovereignty and international law. [1] [2]
Israel has a record of carrying out air strikes against targets with connections to Iran in Syria in recent years. Iranian forces have been able to expand their influence in the region due to the ongoing conflict in Syria. Iran provides military assistance to the militias fighting against rebel forces in Syria while also supporting the Syrian government. Israel considers the expanding Iranian presence in Syria to be a danger to its national security and has therefore taken steps to thwart the transfer of weapons to the militias that pose a direct threat to Israel. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group situated in Lebanon, is known to receive military personnel and weapons from the T4 airbase and al-Dabaa airport. The recent air strikes by Israel are likely to raise tensions in the area and may lead to further retaliatory action by Iran or its allies. [3] [4] [5]
Kata'ib Hezbollah, also known as the Hezbollah Brigades, is a radical Iraqi Shiite paramilitary group which is a part of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), staffing the 45th, 46th, and 47th Brigades. During the Iraq War (2003–11), the group fought against Coalition forces. It has been active in the War in Iraq (2013–2017) and the Syrian Civil War. The group was commanded by Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis until he was killed in a US drone attack in 2020. Thereafter, Abdul Aziz al-Muhammadawi became the new leader of the PMF. The group seeks to establish an Iran-aligned government in Iraq, expel American forces from the country, and advance the regional and international interests of Iran in Iraq and the region. The group is responsible for killing hundreds of U.S. soldiers and takes a central part in carrying out attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq and acts as part of the Axis of Resistance. Kata'ib Hezbollah has received extensive training, funding, logistic support, weapons, and intelligence from the IRGC's overseas military-intelligence service Quds Force.
The History of the Israel Air Force begins in May 1948, shortly after the formation of the State of Israel. Following Israel's declaration of independence on May 14, its pre-state national institutions transformed into the agencies of a state, and on May 26, 1948, the Israeli Air Force was formed. Beginning with a small collection of light aircraft, the force soon transformed into a comprehensive fighting force. It has since participated in several wars and numerous engagements, becoming what has been described as "The mightiest air force in the Middle East".
Several incidents have taken place on the Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line during the Syrian Civil War, straining the relations between the countries. The incidents are considered a spillover of the Quneitra Governorate clashes since 2012 and later incidents between Syrian Army and the rebels, ongoing on the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan and the Golan Neutral Zone and the Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian Civil War. Through the incidents, which began in late 2012, as of mid-2014, one Israeli civilian was killed and at least 4 soldiers wounded; on the Syrian-controlled side, it is estimated that at least ten soldiers were killed, as well as two unidentified militants, who were identified near Ein Zivan on Golan Heights.
The Palmyra offensive in December 2016 was a military operation launched by the military of ISIL which led to the re-capture of the ancient city of Palmyra, and an unsuccessful ISIL attack on the Tiyas T-4 Airbase to the west of the city. ISIL previously controlled the city from May 2015 until March 2016.
The Tiyas Air Base, also known as the T-4 Air base, is a Former Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) base located in the Homs Governorate, north of Tiyas, and west of the ancient city of Palmyra, Syria.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from September to December 2017. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.
The Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war refers to the Iranian–Israeli standoff in and around Syria during the Syrian conflict. With increasing Iranian involvement in Syria from 2011 onwards, the conflict shifted from a proxy war into a direct confrontation by early 2018.
Operation Spring Shield was a cross-border military operation carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in the Idlib Governorate of northwestern Syria against the Syrian Armed Forces and allied militias. The operation was launched on 27 February 2020 in direct response to the Balyun airstrikes, aiming to address the escalating situation in the region.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war for 2021. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian civil war.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war for 2022. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found in Casualties of the Syrian civil war.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war for 2023. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found in Casualties of the Syrian civil war.
Events in the year 2023 in Syria
Starting on 17 October 2023, and in response to United States support for Israel in the Israel–Hamas war, Iran-backed militias initiated a coordinated series of more than 170 attacks on US military bases and assets in Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. These attacks resulted in injuries to dozens of US service members. In retaliation, the US has launched multiple counterattacks, resulting in the death of over 30 militants including a senior commander of the Nujaba Movement, Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi. In February 2024, following US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, militia attacks against US forces were halted.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq refers to an informal network of Iranian-backed Shia Islamist insurgent groups in Iraq. The name is used by members of the network when carrying out attacks against American forces or its allies in the region.
Events of the year 2024 in Iraq.
Events in the year 2024 in Syria.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war from January to October 2024. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found in Casualties of the Syrian civil war.
On 7 February 2024, the Israeli Air Force launched missile attacks against a number of locations in Homs in central Syria, killing 10 people, including 6 civilians and 2 Hezbollah members. The missile attacks took place after the US Air Force attacked locations in Iraq and Syria on 2 February 2024.
The spillover of the Israel–Hamas war in Syria is the impact and military engagements in Syria which are caused by the spillover of the Israel–Hamas war, and constitute a part of the ongoing Middle Eastern crisis. The conflict, originating in the Gaza Strip, has triggered regional tensions and violence, drawing Syria in through direct and indirect confrontations involving Israeli forces, Syrian state actors, and armed groups operating in Syrian territory.