Infrastructure on fire due to Israeli airstrike on Masyaf town in Hama province, Syria. Photo: Moshiach.
The latest Israeli attacks against Syria, which targeted central areas of the country, utilized very different tactics than previous attacks. These tactics closely resemble the ones previously used by extremist militants in Syria and are characterized by initial attacks which are followed up with drones that target rescue teams and emergency services. As of this writing, this attack resulted in 18 martyrs and over 35 injuries, some critical.
The two-phase aggression, which occurred on Saturday, September 8, targeted Masyaf and Wadi Al-Uyun areas in rural Hama province. In its first phase, “Israel” used highly explosive missiles, causing severe damage to several infrastructure facilities in the area, including the communications network and the drinking water system. It also blocked off several roads and ignited fires in forests and mountainous areas, according to field sources speaking to Al-Akhbar.
The sources report that the first wave of missile attacks was followed by another wave of attacks using drones, whose sounds were heard by residents. These drones waited for some time until civilians and emergency services had arrived to transport and aid the injured and remove debris from the roads. This second wave of drones is the reason for the high number of martyrs and injured, in addition to the destruction of emergency service equipment.
Sources described these attacks as the “most violent” on Syria since October 7, 2023, the date of the Palestinian resistance’s Al-Aqsa Flood operation, and the subsequent Israeli attempts to expand the war circle through attacks on Syria and Lebanon.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense reported in a brief statement: “At about 20:23 p.m. on September 8, 2024 the Israeli enemy launched an aerial aggression from the northwest direction of Lebanon, targeting a number of military sites in the central region. Our air defense systems confronted the enemy’s missiles and shot down some of them. The aggression resulted in three martyrs, fifteen others injured, and material losses.”
The Syrian Foreign Ministry, in a statement, held the United States responsible for the continuation of these aggressions. “The persistence of the Israeli occupation in its attacks on Syrian territories and other countries in the region, and its ongoing brutal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, committing the most heinous massacres and acts of genocide against Palestinians, indicates the frantic drive of this bloody fascist entity towards further escalation in the region, pushing it towards dangerous slides with severe and unforeseeable consequences,” reads the statement. “Syria considers that the unlimited support given to the Israeli entity by the United States of America and other Western countries is what encourages it to continue its heinous crimes and ongoing aggression. This makes these countries complicit in this aggression, and covering for it requires accountability.”
Condemning “in the strongest terms this sinful aggression on Syrian territories,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned “the continued international silence on Israeli disregard for all international laws and conventions, and its violations of international law.” It called on “all countries of the world to condemn this Israeli aggression and stand in solidarity with Syria in trying to put an end to systematic Israeli aggressions and crimes, and to hold the leaders of this racist entity accountable for all its crimes.”
After the aggression, a Syrian government delegation, including the ministers of Health, Electricity, and Communications, visited the targeted area to assess the damage. According to the Syrian Ministry of Water Resources, material losses include damages to main pumping and water lines of the Masyaf underground reservoir, the power supply line for the Jurifat wells that feed Masyaf city, and the power supply line for Khan Jalmidoun wells and Salhab city wells, causing drinking water outages in several regions.
The Hama Communications Directorate reported that the infrastructure and technical equipment of a wireless communications center serving all public entities in the area, including forestry, rapid emergency response system, and the health sector, were completely destroyed in the aggression. The Ministry of Health, in its latest count, estimated the number of victims at 18 martyrs and 37 wounded.
“Israel” has targeted numerous Syrian military and civilian infrastructure facilities in previous aggressions, including radars, reconnaissance and surveillance systems, air defense platforms, as well as Damascus and Aleppo airports, and Latakia port, shortly after the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in February last year. This hindered the delivery of aid to those affected by the earthquake.
This is only a portion of the long list of ongoing aggressions against all forms of life in Syria, in which “Israel” has used various tactics, the latest being similar to those of ISIS.
(Al-Akhbar) by Alaa Halabi
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/DZ/SC
Alaa Halabi
Alaa Halabi is a freelance Syrian journalist. His work can be found on his X account at @alaa_7alabi.