Israel hits ‘weapons smuggling’ site in Syria – IDF
The Israeli Air Force announced on Saturday that its jets hit what it said was a Hezbollah-linked site in Syria.
The strike came just days after Israel and the Lebanese-based armed group agreed to a ceasefire mediated by the US and France. Both sides have since accused each other of violations, with Israel carrying out more strikes on southern Lebanon on Friday.
“This strike was carried out following the identification of the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah from Syria to Lebanon, even after the ceasefire agreement,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
The IDF has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of using civilian border crossings to deliver weapons in order to launch cross-border attacks against Israeli service members and civilians. The IDF vowed to “continue to act to remove any threat to the State of Israel” that violates the fragile ceasefire.
The truce, which came in effect on Wednesday morning, was designed to serve as a permanent cessation of hostilities and facilitate the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, according to US President Joe Biden. The IDF has since confirmed that its soldiers would stay in southern Lebanon for the time being and urged residents not to return to their homes.
Syrian state-run SANA news agency reported on Wednesday that an Israeli airstrike killed six people on the border with Lebanon, including military personnel and a humanitarian worker. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent said that its volunteers were killed in the strike.
According to Israeli website Ynet, the bombardment killed at least ten Syrian soldiers.
The strikes took place against the backdrop of a larger flare-up in Syria, where several militant groups, including jihadists from Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS), launched a surprise offensive in the northeastern part of the country. The Syrian government, with air support from Russia, is currently fighting to drive HTS from parts of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.
