Israeli Jets Strike 300 Targets In Syria, Dozens Of Aircraft Destroyed
Israel’s air force carried out about 300 strikes in Syria in the early hours of Tuesday morning (10th) according to Israeli security sources.
Most of the strikes were in southern Syria and around the city of Damascus targeting Syrian army bases, with an emphasis on air defense systems and stores of surface-to-surface and surface to air missiles.
Israeli security sources indicate that these actions have significantly expanded the air force’s operational freedom.
On Monday evening (9th), two Syrian security sources told Reuters that IAF jets had struck at least three major Syrian army air bases that housed dozens of helicopters and jets. According to estimations the Syrian air Force could be destroyed within days and would not fall into the hands of the rebels.
The Qamishli air base in northeast Syria, the Shinshar base in the countryside of Homs, and the Aqrba airport southwest of the capital Damascus were all hit, the sources said.
The air force also reportedly struck a research center on the outskirts of Damascus and a center for electronic warfare near the Sayeda Zainab area of the capital.
Also Tuesday morning (10th), citing Arab reports, Israeli media reported that IDF tanks were spotted approximately 12 miles from Damascus.
According to Reuters, several Syrian military vessels were sunk in their home port by the IAF.
An Israeli military incursion into southern Syria has reached about 16 miles southwest of the capital, Damascus, two regional security sources and one Syrian source said on Tuesday (10th).
The Syrian security source said Israeli troops reached Qatana, which is over 6 miles into Syrian territory east of a demilitarized zone separating Israeli Golan Heights from Syria.
In a letter to the United Nations Security Council, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon described the military actions as “limited and temporary” measures necessary to address immediate security threats.
“Israel does not intervene in the internal Syrian conflict,” Danon wrote, emphasizing that the strikes were specifically aimed at ensuring the safety of Israeli citizens, particularly of those residing in the Golan Heights. He reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to the Disengagement Agreement that was made on May 31, 1974, between Israel and Syria.
Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the IDF to intensify its activities along the Syrian border following the Syrian military’s recent occupation of Mount Hermon. The IDF has been directed to establish a security zone beyond the buffer area while fostering ties with the Local populations, including the Druze community, to enhance stability in the region.
Netanyahu: Today Everyone Understands Importance Of Our Being On Golan Heights
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference Monday evening (9th) against the backdrop of the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
Netanyahu began by addressing the deaths of seven IDF soldiers over the last day, four of whom fell in combat in southern Lebanon and three of whom fell in combat in northern Gaza. Addressing the families of the fallen, he said, “Together with the entire people, I embrace you from the bottom of my heart.”
Turning to the recent developments in Syria, he said, “Yesterday, a new and dramatic chapter opened in the history of the Middle East – the Assad regime fell. This was a central link in Iran’s axis of evil. Everything Iran invested went down the drain.”
He stated that recent events demonstrated the need for Israel to hold onto the Golan Heights that it captured during the 1967 Six Day War.
“Today everyone understands the great importance of our presence on the Golan Heights and not at the foot of the Golan Heights,” Netanyahu said.
“We are dismantling the axis of evil. This did not happen by itself and did not happen by chance. I already said on October 9 to the municipal leaders in southern Israel that we would change the face of the Middle East.”
Regarding the southern front, where the war with Hamas continues, Netanyahu said, “We are working to destroy the remnants of Hamas’ military power and its governing capacity, and to return all the kidnapped, and I emphasize – every last one of them.”
He dismissed the criticism he has received over the last year that the goal of total victory over Hamas is unrealistic, and said, “If we had stopped the war, we would not have eliminated Sinwar and Nasrallah. Neither Hezbollah nor Syria, and we would not have struck Iran. All because we insisted on total victory. What they mocked is becoming a reality.”
Amid Toppling Of Assad, Kurds In Syria Appeal To Israel For Help
Representatives of the Syrian Kurds have appealed to Israeli officials seeking assistance and protection
This comes amid the crumbling of the regime of former Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, and as Syria has been taken over by Islamist rebels.
Earlier on Monday (9th) , Turkish-backed Syrian rebels announced that they had begun attacking Kurdish forces in the Manbij area in northern Syria, northeast of Aleppo.
Israel, which views the Kurdish community as a friendly and Western-oriented entity, has been working with Western countries since the beginning of the current campaign to ensure the security of the Kurds within the emerging new reality in Syria.
The current situation, including the victory of Sunni jihadists and the intensification of the civil war, creates security and political uncertainty.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has recently engaged in a series of discussions with his European and American counterparts, raising the Kurdish issue and emphasizing the necessity of supporting them.
Last week, Sa’ar participated in the foreign ministers’ conference in Malta, during which he met with, among others, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while on Sunday evening (8th), Sa’ar spoke with his British counterpart, David Lammy.
The message conveyed by Sa’ar, both in the meetings in Malta and in his discussion with Lammy, was that the international community must ensure the safety of the Kurds against attacks from extremist Islamists.
Palestinian Security Forces Launch Rare Counterterror Operation In Jenin
Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces launched an operation against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists in the Jenin area on Monday (9th), marking their first entry into the area in years. Previously, the PA refrained from operating in the town, leaving counterterrorism efforts to the IDF.
Images of the operation, an unusual offensive against terror squads in Jenin, showed PA forces equipped with sniper rifles, tactical helmets and armored vehicles – all approved by Israel.
The raid followed escalating tensions between PIJ operatives and PA forces, sparked when terrorists seized two PA vehicles and paraded them through the town. PA intelligence chief Majd Faraj visited Jenin Monday (9th) to mediate and prevent further conflict, but Monday’s (9th) raid signaled a shift in power dynamics with the weakening of the PIJ-led Jenin Brigade.
Photos of stolen PA jeeps adorned with Hamas and PIJ flags served as a tipping point for the PA’s decision to act. On Thursday (5th), PA forces secured Jenin’s hospitals, sealing access to the Jenin refugee camp in preparation for their incursion. On Monday (9th) they opened the gates and launched an assault, clearing explosive devices planted by terrorists.
In a statement, PA security forces announced their mission to restore law and order in Jenin and its refugee camp for civilian protection.
“There will be no backing down from enforcing law and order, arresting criminals, confiscating resources and cutting off suspicious funds,” a spokesperson told the Wafa news agency, adding that all evidence would be presented to Palestinian courts and confirming that one security officer was moderately injured in the operation.
The repeated IDF incursions into Jenin in recent months are believed to have bolstered the PA’s confidence to reclaim control of the area. However, it remains unclear if the PA can maintain its hold on Jenin and its refugee camp—an outcome with potentially significant implications for West Bank security.
Geert Wilders: Netanyahu Has Done More In One Year Than Europe Has Done In 70
Geert Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands who is currently visiting Israel, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Energy Minister Eli Cohen, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, and Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel.
Posting on X after his meeting with Netanyahu, Wilders praised Israel for the operations against Hamas and Hezbollah over the last year.
“Just spoke to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu of Israel in Jerusalem and told him that in one year – by crushing Hamas, pulverizing Hezbollah and significantly weakening Iran – he has done more to fight international terrorism than the EU has done in the last 70 years.”
Wilders has long been a staunch supporter of Israel and has not been shy about showing his support.
In October, after Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened Israel in a Hebrew post on X, Wilders fired back.
“You are a psychopath, a dangerous maniac, a sick person who will lose because logic, democracy and freedom will win and we will always support Israel,” he wrote to Khamenei.
In May, Wilders gave an impassioned speech in support of Israel at the Dutch Parliament.
He said that radical Muslims “are out to destroy the Jewish state and kill its inhabitants” and then added, “And for me and my political party, it is not difficult to see with whom we stand in solidarity. Are we with the Jewish people, who are fighting for their existence, or are we with Islamic extremists, terrorist scum who want to exterminate them? And I tell you , until the very end, I support the State of Israel.”
Paraguay To Make History As Sixth Nation With Jerusalem Embassy
Paraguay is set to become the sixth country with an embassy in Jerusalem.
In a highly anticipated ceremony this coming Wednesday (11th), President Santiago Pena will demonstrate his nation’s unwavering support for Israel by restoring their diplomatic mission to its rightful place in the Jewish people’s eternal capital.
The two-day diplomatic visit will kick off with Pena addressing the Knesset, where he’ll meet with Israel’s leadership including Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Herzog.
On Thursday (12th), he will inaugurate his country’s embassy in Har Hotzvim industrial park. Families of victims from the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre are expected to be in attendance.
Paraguay has long-maintained deep ties with Israel, tracing back to when it voted in favor to establish the Jewish State at the UN in 1947.
During his own presidential campaign, the South American leader expressed strong support for moving his embassy to Jerusalem.
“The State of Israel recognizes Jerusalem as its capital. The seat of the parliament is in Jerusalem, the president is in Jerusalem. So who are we to question where they establish their own capital?” he asked.
Knesset Speaker Amit Ohana, who recently inaugurated Israel’s embassy in Asuncion, praised Paraguay’s steadfast support.
“About three months ago, I had the honor of inaugurating the Israeli embassy in Paraguay,” Ohana said in comments cited by Hebrew media. “In a moving ceremony, we affixed the mezuzah from the house where Sivan Elkabetz and Naor Hasidim were murdered on October 7.”
“Paraguay’s president will inaugurate the embassy in Jerusalem. Shimon, Sivan’s father; Avi, Naor’s father; and Elhanan Danino – the father of Uri, who was kidnapped from the Nova party and was murdered – will attend,” he said.
“Avi and Elhanan joined me on my recent visit to Paraguay” said Ohana, “and like me, they felt the president’s embracing and sympathetic attitude towards the State of Israel and support for its existential struggle.”
While most countries still maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv, Paraguay’s courage in recognition paves the way for more countries to follow.
Currently, only the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, and Papua New Guinea have embassies in Jerusalem.
