From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Israeli Air Force responsible for overnight strikes on Iran-linked operatives in eastern Syria
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israeli Air Force was responsible for overnight airstrikes in eastern Syria, which reportedly killed several Iranian-linked operatives, The Times of Israel has learned.
The strikes in the Deir Ezzor and al-Bukamal area targeted assets belonging to Iran’s Unit 4000, the Special Operations Division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Intelligence Organization, and the special operations unit of the IRGC’s Quds Force in Syria, known as Unit 18840, according to Israeli defense sources.
Yesterday, the Shin Bet announced that it had foiled attempts by those two Iranian units to smuggle advanced weapons to West Bank Palestinian terrorists.
The strikes overnight, defense sources say, were a response to the smuggling attempts and targeted assets related to the Iranian plot.
Israel is aware that several Iranian or Iran-linked operatives were killed in the strikes. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, previously accused of inflating tolls and false reporting, claims nine were killed in the strikes.
The Times of Israel Community.