Large explosion hit Syrian army missile base, Israel blamed

2014-04-23 156

Originally published on October 31, 2013

A large explosion reportedly completely destroyed a Syrian air defence base near the coastal city Jableh, 30 kilometers south of Latakia on Wednesday night (October 30).

According to The Jerusalem Post, the base was destroyed in a missile attack from the sea. The attack's target was an S-125 surface-to-air missiles battery. It is unclear who was behind the explosion. There were no reports of casualties.

However, Lebanese National News Agency reported that six Israeli warplanes breached Lebanese airspace and were flying along the coast north of Beirut area before the blast.

Israel was assumed to be responsible for two airstrikes targeting Syrian weapons in May this year.

According to Reuters, "with Assad battling a more than two-year-old Syrian insurgency, the Israelis also worry that the Sunni Islamist rebels could loot his arsenals and eventually hit the Jewish state, ending four decades of relative cross-border calm.

"Lacking a side to support in its northern neighbor's civil war, and worried about inadvertently fuelling escalation, Israel has exercised restraint. Its government did not formally confirm Friday's air strike, which was disclosed to Reuters by an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The Israeli air force possesses so-called "standoff" bombs that coast dozens of kilometers (miles) across ground to their targets once fired. That could, in theory, allow Israel to attack Syria from its own turf or from adjacent Lebanon."

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