Israel Vows to Push Iran from Syria // FAI ONLINE

An Israeli airstrike in Syria (Credit: Reuters archive).

A series of airstrikes against Iranian bases in Syria has significantly degraded the Iranian regime’s operations in the war-torn country. Multiple intelligence agency sources are reporting that Iran is beginning to draw down forces and activity inside Syria, as the airstrikes have increased in pace and size in the last two months, killing dozens of troops in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and causing billions of US dollars in financial losses.

There have been at least 16 airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria in 2020, including 2 major airstrikes in the last two weeks that obliterated weapons depots near the Syrian cities of Palmyra and al-Bukamal. Although there has been no explicit claim of responsibility for the strikes, they are widely believed to be conducted by the Israeli Air Force. On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett gave a radio interview in which he announced that the Israeli military strategy vis-a-vis Iran in Syria is intensifying. “Keep your ears open. We’ve gone from a policy of blocking [Iran] to pushing it out”, said Bennett, who added that Syria is a far-from-home “adventure” for Iran, but a matter of survival for bordering Israel.

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Israel has allegedly conducted at least 16 airstrikes in Syria since the beginning of the year, targeting weapons depots, troop quarters, weapons factories and labs, and other facilities in the 15 military bases used by the IRGC and its militia proxies across the country. Two strikes in particular on April 20 and May 4 caused significant damage to ammunition depots in central and eastern Syria, destroying multiple structures and underground bunkers.

Hezbollah, which was founded in neighboring Lebanon in the 1980’s with patronage from the IRGC, is also active in Syria with thousands of fighters and over a dozen bases. Analysts believe that any vacuum caused by an Iranian withdrawal would be filled by the terrorist group, which also suffered a major blow yesterday when the the German government added its political wing to its list of terrorist organizations. Germany has been a major hub of recruiting, propaganda and fundraising for Hezbollah in Europe since the group’s inception more than 30 years ago. Iran has threatened Germany with repercussions.