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As of February 10, several military events took place in Syria, the most notable of which was a major Israeli air attack targeting the outskirts of the capital Damascus.
The attack, which took place in the early hours of February 9, consisted of two waves of strikes:
The first one was carried out by fighter jets of the Israeli Air Force. The fighter jets launched a number of air-to-ground missiles at military targets around Damascus while flying inside the airspace of Lebanon, specifically to the southwest of Beirut.
The second wave of strikes was carried out by the Israeli Defense Forces, which fired a salvo of ground-to-ground missiles from the occupied Golan Heights at air defense sites near Damascus.
The Syrian Air Defense Forces intercepted several Israeli missiles. However, they were not able to prevent losses. The strikes claimed the life of a Syrian service member and wounded five others. Material losses were also reported.
The IDF ignored the first wave of strikes on Syria. However, it said that the second wave was a response to Syria’s air defense fire, in particular to an anti-aircraft missile that penetrated Israel’s airspace before exploding over the northern town of Umm al-Fahm.
The attack on Damascus was likely a part of Israel’s “War-Between-Wars” military campaign, which is meant to push Iran and its allies out of Syria.
The Israeli attack was not Syria’s only problem. The country’s northern and northeastern regions are still experiencing unrest as a result of a conflict between Turkish forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has been getting more involved in this conflict as a result of Turkey’s never-ending attacks on Kurdish-held areas.
On February 9, a Turkish-backed militant was killed and three others were wounded when the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) targeted the Abu al-Zandin crossing in the northern countryside of Aleppo with guided munitions. Two truck-mounted heavy machine guns were also destroyed.
The strike was likely a response to recent Turkish attacks on Kurdish-held areas that wounded a number of Syrian soldiers.
The attack didn’t deter Turkey, who hit back in northeastern Syria on the very same day. Turkish combat drones targeted two vehicles on Amuda-al-Darbasiyah road and near the town of Bherah in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah. The Turkish strikes killed a child and wounded three other civilians.
Despite the unrest in Syria’s north and northeast, the situation in the northwestern region, known as Greater Idlib, is still surprisingly calm. As of February 10, no major ceasefire violations were reported in the region.
The situation in Syria’s central region is also still under control, mainly thanks to the efforts of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Between February 6 and 8, more than 80 Russian airstrikes hit ISIS hideouts in the region, especially near the town of al-Resafa in the southern Raqqa countryside. The intense airstrikes prevented the terrorists from launching any attack.
Meanwhile, in Syria’s southern region, the situation appears to be deteriorating, once again. At least two serious attacks were reported in Daraa.
On February 9, Shadi Bajbuj, a local commander who is reportedly close to the Syrian Military Intelligence Directorate, was killed when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle in Daraa city.
On the same day, Abdel Ilah al-Masri, near the town of Sahem al-Golan in the western Daraa countryside. However, he survived the attack.
The surprise escalation in the southern region reflects the unstable nature of the conflict in Syria, which will not likely end anytime soon.
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Voices from Syria
Author: Mark Taliano
ISBN Number: 978-0-9737147-9-1
Year: 2017
Product Type: PDF File
List Price: $6.50
