IDF strikes hit ‘remaining military capacities’ at Syrian airbases
Israeli jets target runways, fuel depots and radars at Hama military airport and T-4 airbase, are said to also strike scientific research center linked to chemical weapons
The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday night confirmed launching a series of airstrikes in Syria, saying it struck “remaining military capabilities” at the Hama military airport and T-4 airbase.
The strikes targeted the runways, fuel depots and radars at the airbases, according to military sources.
Israeli Air Force aircraft also struck “military infrastructure” in the Damascus area, the IDF said.
According to Syrian media, the Barzeh scientific research center just outside Damascus — which has been linked to the former Syrian regime’s chemical weapons program — was hit.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor of unclear funding, later reported that “four people were killed and others wounded, including Syrian defense ministry personnel, in the strikes on Hama military airport.”
It said those raids, which targeted “remaining planes, runways and towers, put the airport completely out of service.”
غارات اسرائيلية جديدة على مطار حماة pic.twitter.com/tM4ovL3aXn
— Annahar النهار (@Annahar) April 2, 2025
The Syrian foreign ministry later denounced the Israeli strikes. “In a blatant violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty, Israeli forces launched airstrikes on five locations across the country,” it said in a statement on Telegram.
“This unjustified escalation is a deliberate attempt to destabilize Syria and exacerbate the suffering of its people.”
The ministry said the strikes resulted in the “near-total destruction” of a military airport in central Syrian province Hama, injuring dozens of civilians and soldiers.
It also said the strikes came as the country is trying to rebuild after 14 years of war, calling it a strategy to “normalize violence within the country.”
Following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime to Islamist-led rebels in December, Israel vowed to destroy weapons in Syria it fears could fall into the hands of “hostile forces” that may seek to attack it.
Israeli troops have also been stationed inside the buffer zone along the Israel-Syria border, which was manned by UN peacekeepers until Assad was toppled in December 2024.
Authorities in south Syria’s Daraa on Telegram late Wednesday said that several Israeli military vehicles entered an area in the province’s west, reporting that “three (Israeli) artillery shells” targeted the area.
Last week, the IDF said it bombed targets at two airbases in central Syria, including T-4. Further Israeli airstrikes were reported in Syria later in the week
The strikes in Syria have drawn condemnation and concern, including from Syria’s interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, as well as the European Union.
Israeli leaders have consistently stated that they do not trust al-Sharaa, a former rebel fighter whose Islamist group began as al-Qaeda’s local branch, whom Defense Minister Israel Katz has called an “extreme Islamic leader.”
Entry of Druze workers cancelled at last minute
Also Wednesday, Kan reported that the planned entry of Syrian Druze workers into Israel was cancelled in a last-minute decision by Israel’s political echelon.
No reason has been reported as to why the decision was made.
Last month, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Israel would allow Syrian Druze to enter the country for work in the wake of Assad’s fall.
Preparations were made to carry out the initiative, with plans drawn up by Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, who heads the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, and who is Druze himself.
Agencies and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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