On Sunday, December 8, Israel carried out three airstrikes in Syria’s capital, Damascus. The attacks targeted a security infrastructure and a government research center, which Tel Aviv has previously claimed were used by Iran for missile development. This information was reported by the British news agency Reuters, citing two regional security sources.
On the same day, rebels overthrew Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. The Israeli strikes caused significant damage to the security infrastructure in Damascus’s Kafr Sousa district, including the main customs headquarters, the military intelligence office, and adjacent buildings. The research center was also reported to have sustained damage.
A source, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that sensitive military data, equipment, and missile components stored in the targeted infrastructure were destroyed in the attack.
Israel views the rapid fall of Assad’s government in Syria with a mix of concern and hope, considering it one of the most significant strategic shifts in the Middle East this year. During Syria’s prolonged civil war, Assad has been supported by Iran and Russia.
Israeli officials have expressed concerns that the Assad government’s chemical weapons and banned missiles might fall into the hands of the rebels, who entered Damascus on Sunday.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel carried out attacks on at least seven locations in southwestern Syria, including the Khalkhala airbase north of Sweida. According to sources, Syrian forces vacated the area the previous night, leaving behind significant stockpiles of missiles, air defense systems, and ammunition, which were subsequently targeted in the strikes.
Additionally, sources reported attacks on ammunition depots near the Mezzah military airbase, located southwest of the capital.
Israel has long conducted strikes on Iran-linked targets in Syria, but the intensity of these attacks has increased since the Gaza conflict began.