FILE PHOTO An Israeli F-16 fighter jet © Amir Cohen / Reuters
New satellite images revealed that the February 9 Israeli attack on Syria had targeted a sensitive military research complex and a key air defense base near the capital, Damascus.
The images show damage at a complex of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) that’s located in the suburb of Jamraya, some five kilometers to the northwest of Damascus city center.
The SSRC, whose facilities were targeted by Israel on several occasions in the past, is Syria’s main military research and development institution.
استـ.ـ.ـهدف العـ.ـ.ـدوان الإسـ.ـ.ـرائيلي الليلة الماضية مركز البحوث العلمية في جمرايا شمال الهامة بريف دمشق وأسفر عن تدمـ.ـير مستودعين غرب مجمع البحوث وإصابة مستودع بأضرار بالغة ضمن مركز البحوث، والبحوث العلمية السورية من أهم مراكز تطوير القدرات الصاروخية السورية وزيادة دقتها. pic.twitter.com/oMMvbmNvv7
— SAM 🇸🇾 (@SAMSyria0) February 9, 2022
The new satellite images also showed damage at a large air defense base located in the outskirts of the town of al-Dumayr, around 45 kilometers to the northeast of Damascus.
The base, which hosts a Soviet-made S-200 long-range air-defense system, was targeted in response to Syria’s heavy air defense fire during the attack. One of the Syrian anti-aircraft missiles launched to repel the first wave of the attack penetrated Israel’s airspace before exploding over the town of Umm al-Fahm.
— SAM 🇸🇾 (@SAMSyria0) February 9, 2022
The Israeli attack consisted of two waves of strikes, the first of which was launched by fighter jets from Lebanon’s airspace. The second wave of strikes was, however, launched by ground forces from the occupied Golan Heights using ground-to-ground missiles.
According to Oleg Zhuravlev, deputy chief of the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria, Russian-made air-defense systems in service with the Syrian military managed to intercept eight Israeli missiles during the attack.
Casualties were reported after the Israeli attack. A Syrian service members was killed and at least five others were wounded.
There have been similar Israeli strikes since the beginning of the war in Syria, but this attack has been the largest in a while. Tel Aviv hopes that its repeated attacks on Syria will eventually force Iranian forces out of the country. However, this will not likely happen anytime soon.
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