Israel is conducting its most extensive air campaign in decades, targeting remnants of the Syrian military following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. According to Army Radio, these attacks represent the largest military actions against Syria since the Six-Day War in 1967. Israeli Air Force (IAF) strikes are aimed at completely dismantling Syria’s military infrastructure to prevent it from threatening Israel or being seized by rebel forces.
Reports indicate hundreds of airstrikes have destroyed key military assets, including air defenses, missile stockpiles, chemical weapon facilities, heavy weaponry, and naval forces docked on the Mediterranean Sea. Israeli military correspondent Doron Kadosh described the scale of the operations as unprecedented, with the apparent goal of erasing Syria’s military capacity entirely.
Syria, once a challenging airspace for Israel to penetrate due to mountainous terrain and radar defenses, has become increasingly vulnerable. Years of civil war severely weakened Assad’s regime and its air defense systems. Israel has taken advantage of this freedom in Syrian airspace to strike Iranian supply lines to Hezbollah and other military targets. Since Assad’s removal and the withdrawal of Iranian forces, Israel has faced no significant opposition in its operations.
This strategy aligns with past advice from President-elect Donald Trump, who advocated for destroying abandoned U.S. military equipment in Afghanistan to prevent it from falling into the hands of adversaries like the Taliban. Israel’s actions appear to reflect similar logic: ensuring that no remnants of Syrian military power are used against Israeli interests or exploited by terrorist groups.
The ongoing strikes highlight Israel’s determination to maintain regional security by preventing hostile forces from regrouping or leveraging military resources in post-Assad Syria.
