Has Israel Struck Syrian Chemical Weapon Sites? Here Is What We Know

Israel has confirmed its ongoing air strikes in Syria, aimed at targeting suspected chemical weapons and missile sites. This action is part of Israel’s broader strategy to prevent such weapons from falling into the hands of extremists.

Gideon Saar, Israel’s Foreign Minister, explained that the air strikes were necessary to secure the country’s safety. “We must prevent these dangerous weapons from being accessed by extremists,” Saar said.

Dozens of air strikes carried

Recent reports indicate that Israel has carried out dozens of air strikes in Syria over the past two days. One of the sites struck was located in Damascus, reportedly used by Iranian scientists for rocket development.

The situation escalated when the Israeli military released images of its troops crossing from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights into Syria’s demilitarized buffer zone, where United Nations peacekeepers are based. This action follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that the Israeli military had temporarily seized control of the so-called Area of Separation. Netanyahu stated that the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria had effectively “collapsed” due to the rebel takeover of the country.

The Golan Heights, a rocky plateau around 60 kilometers southwest of Damascus, has been under Israeli control since the 1967 Six-Day War, when it was seized from Syria. Although Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, the international community did not recognize the move, except for the United States in 2019.

Israel says objective was to destroy “heavy strategic weapons “

Saar further clarified that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) action was limited and temporary, emphasizing that it was purely for security reasons. “We have no interest in meddling in Syria’s internal affairs; our focus is defending our citizens,” he stated.

Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, reiterated the military’s objectives, which include destroying “heavy strategic weapons,” such as missile and air defense systems, to ensure Israel’s security.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, reported that Israel had launched air strikes overnight on multiple locations across coastal and southern Syria. “Since the announcement of the regime’s fall, Israel has intensified air strikes, deliberately targeting weapons and ammunition depots,” the group stated.

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