An Israeli F-35I “Adir” fighter jet. Photo: IDF

i24 News – The Israel Air Force carried out a series of targeted strikes in Syria on Sunday, particularly on the al-Mazzeh military base in Damascus and Khalkhalah in the southern al-Suweida part of the country. Attacks were also reported in rural areas of Daraa. According to Syrian sources, the targets included weapon depots, air defense batteries and missile manufacturing facilities.

Images broadcast earlier in the day showed rebel forces near the al-Mazzeh base, one of the main Syrian military airports, which has been previously targeted by Israel.

In the night from Saturday to Sunday, air raids attributed to Israel were carried out around Damascus, targeting sophisticated weapons and military installations. A chemical weapons depot was also reportedly destroyed. In response to these developments, the Israeli army deployed reinforcements to the Golan Heights to prevent any incursions by armed groups into the buffer zone. “The IDF does not involve itself in internal events in Syria, but will continue to act to defend the State of Israel,” a military spokesman said.

This comes as Lebanese security sources claimed that Hezbollah has withdrawn all its forces from Syria amid the advance by opposition fighters. According to Syrian military officials, about 150 armored vehicles carrying Hezbollah fighters left the strategic city of al-Qusayr, in the west of the country, shortly before its capture by the rebels. This town was a major transit point for the transfer of weapons between Lebanon and Syria since 2013. Warning messages have reportedly been sent to rebel factions in the Syrian Golan to prevent any violation of the Alpha line, marking the beginning of the demilitarized zone.