Damascus has accused Israel of launching an airstrike on its airbase in Mezzah describing it as a “flagrant” attack. The airbase is not far from Damascus and it is mainly used by the Republican Guards, President Assad’s elite forces.
The impact of the attack and the effect of the damage has not been revealed but video footage purportedly showing smoke rising from the base surfaced on social media and explosions could also be heard.
“The Syrian army command warns the Israeli enemy of the repercussions of this blatant attack and stresses it will continue its war on terrorism and amputate the arms of the perpetrators,” read a statement from the Syrian army.
Damascus claims that the frequency of Israeli attacks are increasing after state-controlled SANA reported that two Israeli jets fired two missiles from Lebanese airspace toward the outskirts of Damascus in late November and a week later, surface-to-surface missiles also struck the Mezzah airport.
Israel has not reacted to the allegations and continues to uphold its policy of ambiguity by neither confirming nor denying its implication or role in any operation beyond its borders, especially out of the occupied Palestinian Territories. However, Tel Aviv has always reiterated its position of not wanting to get involved in the Syrian war although it has been accused of being behind several airstrikes that targeted Hezbollah armaments and senior figures in the war-torn country.
Elsewhere, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives killing at least seven people in the Kafr Sousa neighborhood. Four soldiers including a colonel are reportedly among the casualties. The town houses Syria’s main security installations, the intelligence headquarters and serves as a home to several government ministers.
