The Israeli air force bombed targets in the northwest in the early hours of the morning Syria. According to the official Syrian news agency SANA, the Israeli bombardment focused on the northern and western outskirts of the town of Masyaf, killing 14 people and injuring at least 40 others. At the same time, the Syrian air defense system was activated in the cities of Hama, Homs, Tartus and in Damascus.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is based in London and expresses the positions of the Syrian opposition, among the targets hit were the facilities of the Scientific Research Institute based in Masyaf, where weapons intended for Hezbollah are allegedly manufactured and the local Shiite pro-Iranian militias, under the guidance of specially trained scientific personnel of the Revolutionary Guards.

Israel-US military coordination

In Israel this information was relayed by local state media, without official denial, confirmation or comment. However, the feeling in Israel over the past twenty-four hours is that military operations on the open front with Hezbollah will intensify in the near future.

A relevant statement by the Minister of Defense was typical, Joab Gallantwho during his inspection of central Gaza addressed the soldiers in the presence of journalists, saying that they “should be ready at any time to be transferred to the Lebanese front to take action.”

An additional indication of the climate of readiness was yesterday’s extraordinary visit to Israel by General Eric Kerilla, commander of the American force CENTCOM stationed permanently in the Middle East. Kerila met in Tel Aviv with Defense Minister Galland and other military and security officials. In a post on Platform X, Gallant said the Israeli military and CENTCOM discussed ways to intensify their operational cooperation “to achieve their common goals.”