According to Channel 12 news, the location of the morning strike, which hit the Syrian town of al-Hamidiyah near the port city of Tartus, “suggests that [targeted] a weapon transported by sea, possibly using Iranian ships that docked in the port last week.” The publication added that the strike came amid “a new move by the Iranians in Syria to introduce an air defense system to protect their military interests.” The network did not provide a source for the rating. According to Syrian state media, the airstrike destroyed “poultry farms” and injured two civilians. Military officials have said in the past that Syria has improved its air defense capabilities with upgraded Iranian-made components. In a 2018 strike, Israel reportedly targeted a soon-to-be-deployed Iranian advanced air defense system. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms Channel 12 said on Saturday that this “new effort” is being led by a senior commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in cooperation with the Syrian military, with the aim of allowing Tehran to operate its own air defense systems in Syria. The network named the IRGC officer as Farid Mahmads Sakai, saying it was “no coincidence that his name is being published now”. No details were given on where the officer’s name was posted or further information on his rank and position. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets in Syria over the years, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations. It says it is targeting bases of Iran and allied militias, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah group that has fighters deployed in Syria, as well as arms shipments believed to be destined for various proxies. In another unsourced report, Channel 12 said two explosions took place at an IRGC base southeast of Tehran, causing “extensive damage” on Friday night. There has been no official comment on the incident, which was widely circulated on social media and reported by the opposition-backed Iran International, which is based in London. It’s not (only) for you. Supporting The Times of Israel is not a transaction for an online service, such as subscribing to Netflix. The ToI community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions around the world, for free. Sure, we’ll remove all ads from your page and you’ll get access to some awesome content just for the Community. But your support gives you something deeper than that: the pride of participating in something that really matters. Join the Times of Israel Community Join our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide discerning readers like you with the must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not set up a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers to whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For just $6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel ADS-FREE, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. Thank you, David Horowitz, founding editor of the Times of Israel Join our community Join our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
