Gallant hints at overnight Syria strikes, and the need for pilots

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hints at alleged Israeli airstrikes in Syria.

“Last night we saw another proof that in Israel the roar of the jets is greater than all the other noises on the ground,” Gallant says at a New Year’s greeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF General Staff.

“In the end what counts is action, not words,” Gallant says. “Unfortunately we will have a lot of work on these issues we are responsible for.”

Gallant’s words are seen as a confirmation that Israel carried out a series of strikes in Syria yesterday.

Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing a military source, said the IAF fighter jets launched missiles from over northern Lebanon toward the Syrian city of Hama.

Earlier Wednesday, the Israeli military allegedly carried out rare daylight strikes against targets near the coastal Syrian city of Tartus — some 80 kilometers west of Hama — killing two soldiers.

While Israel’s military does not, as a rule, comment on specific strikes in Syria, it has admitted to conducting hundreds of sorties against Iran-backed groups attempting to gain a foothold in the country, over the last decade.

Gallant’s words are also seen as alluding to the ongoing protests against the government’s judicial overhaul. Hundreds of reserve pilots have refused to show up for duty, saying they will not fly for a country that is not democratic.

The move has seriously undermined the readiness of the military.