IAF steps up strikes against Iranian weapon deliveries in Syria

The Israeli Air Force has stepped up its strikes against Iranian weapon deliveries in Syria since the Hamas massacre of more than 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, according to Reuters.

The news agency based its report on six sources, including an officer from the Syrian military intelligence and a senior commander from the pro-Assad military alliance. The sources said that IDF stopped adhering to the “rules of the game” following the lethal Hamas terror attack in early October.

“They used to fire warning shots – they’d hit near the truck, our guys would get out of the truck, and then they’d hit the truck,” the unnamed military commander reportedly told Reuters.

“Now that’s over. Israel is now unleashing deadlier, more frequent air raids against Iranian arms transfers and air defense systems in Syria. They bomb everyone directly. They bomb to kill,” the commander added.

The Islamic regime has invested considerable resources in establishing a network of terror proxies along Israel’s borders: Hezbollah in Lebanon; Iranian-backed terror militias in Syria; and Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Gaza Strip.

Iran views Syria as its vassal state and as a crucial component in its strategic goal to establish political and military Shiite hegemony from the Persian Gulf in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.

In recent years, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has consequently conducted thousands of strikes on Iranian military targets across Syria. A key goal for the Israeli Defense Forces is to prevent the transfer of so-called 'game-changing weapons' from Iran to its regional terror allies that would seriously threaten the Jewish state's national security.  

Israel's typical policy regarding Syria is to neither confirm nor deny any of its military operations in the nation. However, Israel recently deviated from its policy in a rare public admission when it confirmed its military strikes against Iranian-affiliated targets in Syria.

'I think Israel understood that to separate Iran from Hezbollah you have to strike Syria,' Col (Ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah told i24News, a multilingual Israeli news agency.

While much of the current focus is on the war in Gaza, the powerful Iranian-backed Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah is increasingly stepping up its attacks on northern Israel.

The Israeli military has responded with intensified strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

Last week, Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri was assassinated in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Arouri was considered one of the main architects behind the Hamas Oct. 7 massacre of more than 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians. Arouri was killed while residing in Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Beirut, which has increased pressure on the Hezbollah leadership to respond.

On Sunday, Hezbollah fired more than 40 rockets and other projectiles into northern Israel. The Israeli military later admitted that its radar base on Mount Meron had sustained some damage in the Hezbollah attacks.

On Monday, Israel assassinated Wissam Tawil, a senior Hezbollah commander of the terror group’s Radwan elite force. Tawil reportedly played a central role in coordinating attacks against Israel from Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Economy Minister Nir Barkat visited Israel's northern border near Lebanon on Monday, where they observed IDF operations and spoke with soldiers. 

“Hezbollah made a big mistake with us in 2006 and it is also doing so now,” Netanyahu stated.