Israel Launches Airstrikes in Syria, Wounding Six

The strikes targeted a base outside of the Syrian city of Palmyra

Israeli warplanes bombed Syria on Friday night, wounding six Syrian soldiers, Syrian media reported. The strikes targeted an airbase outside of the Syrian city of Palmyra.

Syria’s SANA quoted a military source who said the airstrikes were launched from the direction of al-Tanf, a US military base in southeast Syria near the borders of Iraq and Jordan. The source said most of the missiles were intercepted by air defenses.

Israel generally doesn’t comment on its airstrikes in Syria. Occasionally, Israeli military officials discuss their frequent airstrikes in Syria and frame them as part of a campaign against Iran. But like Friday’s strikes, they typically kill Syrian soldiers or members of Iraq’s Shia militias.

If the Israeli warplanes flew from al-Tanf, it suggests possible US cooperation on the strikes. Brett McGurk, President Biden’s top Middle East official on the National Security Council, outlined his vision for US Syria policy in a 2019 op-ed. In the piece, McGurk said one of the US’s goals in Syria should be to support Israeli airstrikes.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.