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On November 28, a senior officer of the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) survived an assassination attempt near the capital, Damascus.
The officer, identified as Colonel Basil Ibrahim Wassouf, was reportedly lightly wounded when an explosive device ripped through his car in the district of Kiswah to the south of the capital.
Col. Wassouf is hardened fighter jet pilot of the SyAAF. The nature of his current work with the air force is unknown. The Syrian Ministry of Defense has not made any comment on the assassination attempt, so far.
The attempt on Col. Wassouf life came less than a week after the assassination of a senior officer of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) near Damascus. The officer, Colonel Davood Jafari, was killed on November 22 when his car was struck by an explosive near the Damascus International Airport, to the south of the capital. The IRGC blamed the Israeli intelligence for the assassination.
The Israeli intelligence may be also behind the assassination attempt of Col. Wassouf. Another possibility is that the attempt was orchestrated by a terrorist group, like ISIS or al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
Syrian intelligence and security forces maintain strict security measures in Damascus and its outskirts. Still, the recent incidents indicate that more measures should be taken to fully-secure the capital and protect senior officials and officers working there.
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