May 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrikes

Last updated

May 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrikes
Part of Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian civil war and the Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war
Rif Dimashq in Syria (+Golan hatched).svg
Rif Dimashq Governorate in Syria (red)
Planned byIsrael (allegedly)
ObjectiveDestroy a munitions depot, [1] stop transfer of weapons to Hezbollah
Date3 May 2013 (2013-05-03) and 5 May 2013 (2013-05-05)
Executed by Israeli Air Force involvement alleged
Outcomeunknown
Casualties42+ soldiers dead (SOHR claim), and many civilian casualties (Syrian government claim) [2]

The May 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrikes were a series of aerial attacks made on targets in Syria on 3 and 5 May 2013. [3] The 3 May attack was on targets at Damascus International Airport. [1] [4] The 5 May attacks were on targets at Jamraya, and the Al-Dimas and Maysalun areas in Rif Dimashq (Damascus Countryside). [5] Although officially Israel neither confirmed nor denied its involvement, former Mossad director Danny Yatom and former government member Tzachi Hanegbi inferred Israel's involvement in the attack. [6] Official Syrian sources denied any attack on its soil on 3 May, but did accuse Israel for the attacks on 5 May. [7]

Contents

Timeline

Early on 3 May 2013, several unidentified warplanes attacked a warehouse in Damascus International Airport that contained advanced surface-to-surface missiles that allegedly had been transported from Iran and were possibly bound for Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. The warehouse was believed to be controlled by Hezbollah and Iran's Quds Force. [1] An unidentified American official said the missiles were Fateh-110s and two Israeli defense analysts said they included Scud Ds. [1] [8] [9] Satellite images showed that two facilities on opposite sides of the airport were destroyed. [4]

In the early hours of 5 May there were further air strikes on Syria. SANA, the Syrian state news agency, said there were strikes in three places: northeast of Jamraya; the Al-Dimas air base; and at Maysalun on the border with Lebanon. [5] Syria suggested it had been attacked with rockets. [10]

Targets of the attack

Photographs handed out by SANA and video shown on Al-Manar, a Lebanese television station affiliated with Hezbollah, showed buildings destroyed by the attack on the western side of Mount Qasioun at Al-Hamah, near Jamraya, in what appeared to be a chicken farm. Analysis by Storyful identified the location, which was a mile from the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) facility at Jamraya where a 31 January 2013 airstrike destroyed a convoy in the parking lot. [11] The same location was identified by Giuliano Ranieri. [12] The location is at 33°33′49.3″N36°15′1″E / 33.563694°N 36.25028°E / 33.563694; 36.25028 . Storyful identified this location as the site of the largest explosion in the Jamraya and Qasioun area that night. [11] Al-Manar said the SSRC facility was not hit on this occasion [13] and Storyful also said there was no evidence of a strike at the SSRC facility. [11]

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the air raids had killed at least 42 soldiers and another 100 were missing. Other opposition sources put the death toll at 300. [2] A doctor at Tishreen military hospital in north Damascus said that 100 soldiers were killed in the attack. [14]

Reactions

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Israeli Air Force</span>

The History of the Israel Air Force begins in May 1948, shortly after the formation of the State of Israel. Following Israel's declaration of independence on May 14, its pre-state national institutions transformed into the agencies of a state, and on May 26, 1948, the Israeli Air Force was formed. Beginning with a small collection of light aircraft, the force soon transformed into a comprehensive fighting force. It has since participated in several wars and numerous engagements, becoming what has been described as "The mightiest air force in the Middle East".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war</span> Political, military and operational support to parties involved in the ongoing conflict in Syria

Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war refers to political, military and operational support to parties involved in the ongoing conflict in Syria that began in March 2011, as well as active foreign involvement. Most parties involved in the war in Syria receive various types of support from foreign countries and entities based outside Syria. The ongoing conflict in Syria is widely described as a series of overlapping proxy wars between the regional and world powers, primarily between the United States and Russia as well as between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rif Dimashq offensive (November 2012–February 2013)</span> Rebel offensive during the Syrian Civil War

The Rif Dimashq offensive refers to a rebel offensive during the Syrian Civil War in the Rif Dimashq Governorate which started in November 2012, and a subsequent attempted Syrian Army counterattack in January 2013. Thomson Reuters described rebels as "ramping up attacks on Damascus" in late November and BBC News described the 29 November government counterattack as "an unprecedented offensive against rebel-held districts in the east of the city".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">January 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrike</span>

The January 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrike was an aerial attack in the Rif Dimashq Governorate of Syria, which targeted a convoy alleged to be carrying weapons from Syria to the Lebanese Shi'a militia Hezbollah. The convoy was attacked on 31 January 2013. According to several media sources, Israeli forces allegedly conducted the strike, however Israel hasn't officially responded to the allegations.

The Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), better known by its French name Centre D'Etudes et de Recherches Scientifiques (CERS), is a Syrian government agency that has the goal of advancing and coordinating scientific and military research activities in the country. It works on research and development for the economic and social development of Syria, especially the computerization of government agencies. It is considered to have better technical capacity and equipment than the Syrian universities. Jane's Information Group Intelligence Services and other analysts believe it is responsible for research and development of nuclear, biological, chemical and missile technology and weapons, including ballistic missiles, as well as advanced conventional arms.

Jamraya or Jemraya is a village in the Qudsaya District of Rif Dimashq in southern Syria. It lies 3 miles (5 km) to the northwest of the Syrian capital of Damascus city, beyond Mount Qasioun, and is now an outlying suburb of greater Damascus. It is between al-Hamah and Qudsaya town to the south, and Ashrafiyat al-Wadi to the north. It is about 10 miles (15 km) from the Lebanese border. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, the village had a population of 1,156 in the 2004 census.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war from May to December 2013. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iranian intervention in the Syrian civil war</span>

The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic are close strategic allies, and Iran has provided significant support for the Syrian government in the Syrian civil war, including logistical, technical and financial support, as well as training and some combat troops. Iran sees the survival of the Syrian government as being crucial to its regional interests. When the uprising developed into the Syrian Civil War, there were increasing reports of Iranian military support, and of Iranian training of the National Defence Forces both in Syria and Iran. From late 2011 and early 2012, Iran's IRGC began sending tens of thousands of volunteers in co-ordination with the Syrian government to prevent the collapse of the Syrian Arab Army; thereby polarising the conflict along sectarian lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line incidents during the Syrian civil war</span> Incidents at the Israel–Syria ceasefire line since 2011

Several incidents have taken place on the Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line during the Syrian Civil War, straining the relations between the countries. The incidents are considered a spillover of the Quneitra Governorate clashes since 2012 and later incidents between Syrian Army and the rebels, ongoing on the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan and the Golan Neutral Zone and the Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian Civil War. Through the incidents, which began in late 2012, as of mid-2014, one Israeli civilian was killed and at least 4 soldiers wounded; on the Syrian-controlled side, it is estimated that at least ten soldiers were killed, as well as two unidentified militants, who were identified near Ein Zivan on Golan Heights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">December 2014 Rif Dimashq airstrikes</span>

The December 2014 Rif Dimashq airstrikes were a series of aerial attacks made on targets in Syria on 7 December 2014. The targets were a military area in Al-Dimas and the Damascus International Airport area.

Events in the year 2015 in Israel.

The January 2015 Mazraat Amal incident was an airstrike against a two-car convoy that killed six Hezbollah fighters, including two prominent commanders, and a general of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, at al-Amal Farms in the Quneitra District of Syria, in the Eastern Golan Heights, on 18 January 2015, during the Syrian Civil War. The attack was largely attributed to Israel, which did not officially confirm that it carried it out. Hezbollah and IRGC held Israel responsible and threatened to retaliate. On 19 January 2015, Al-Nusra Front member Abu Azzam al-Idlibi claimed that Jihad Mughniyeh and the other Hezbollah fighters were killed in an Al-Nusra Front ambush at Jaroud in the Qalamoun Mountains in the Al-Qutayfah District northeast of Damascus, claiming that it "will be the end of the Persian project, God willing."

Israel's official position on the Syrian Civil War has been strict neutrality. However, Israel has become involved politically and militarily to prevent the growing influence and entrenchment of Iranian forces and its proxies throughout Syria. Israel's military activity, officially called Operation Chess, has primarily been limited to missile and air strikes targeting Iranian facilities in Syria as well as those of its proxies, especially Hezbollah. These attacks were not officially acknowledged before 2017. Israel has also carried out air strikes in Syria to disrupt weapons shipments to Hezbollah. By August 2022, the UK investigative non-profit Airwars estimated that 17-45 civilians were killed and another 42-101 civilians were wounded by Israeli airstrikes in Syria since 2013. Syrian reports place these figures much lower than other foreign actors in the conflict. Israel has also provided humanitarian aid to victims of the civil war from 2013 to September 2018, an effort that was ramped up after June 2016 with the launch of Operation Good Neighbour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Southern Syria offensive</span> Military operation

The 2015 Southern Syria offensive, code-named "Operation Martyrs of Quneitra", was an offensive launched in southern Syria during the Syrian Civil War by the Syrian Arab Army, Hezbollah and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces. Government forces also include Iranian sponsored Afghani Shi'ite volunteer militias. The name "Operation Martyrs of Quneitra" refers to the January 2015 Mazraat Amal incident, in which several high level Hezbollah and IRGC members were killed in an Israeli strike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian civil war</span> Hezbollah military intervention in the Syrian civil war

Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian Civil War has been substantial since the beginning of armed insurgency phase of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, and evolved into active support for Ba'athist government forces and troop deployment from 2012 onwards. By 2014, Hezbollah was deployed across Syria. Hezbollah has also been very active in preventing Al-Nusra Front and Islamic State penetration into Lebanon, being one of the most active forces in the Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammad Reza Zahedi</span> Iranian military officer (1960–2024)

Mohammad Reza Zahedi was an Iranian military officer. A senior figure within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), he had previously commanded the IRGC Aerospace Force and the IRGC Ground Forces, and was commanding the Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria at the time of his death.

The Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war refers to the Iranian–Israeli standoff in and around Syria during the Syrian conflict. With increasing Iranian involvement in Syria from 2011 onwards, the conflict shifted from a proxy war into a direct confrontation by early 2018.

Events in the year 2024 in Syria

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Razi Mousavi</span> Iranian general (1963–2023)

Razi Mousavi was an Iranian military officer serving in the IRGC's Quds Force. He was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Sayyidah Zaynab, Rif-Dimashq, Syria during the Israel–Hamas war. At the time of his death, Mousavi was described as Iran's most influential military commander in Syria.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Anne Barnard, Michael R. Gordon and Jodi Rudoren (4 May 2013). "Israel targeted Iranian missiles in Syria attack". New York Times. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Williams, Dan; Oweis, Khaled Yacoub (6 May 2013). "Israel says 'no winds of war' despite Syria air strikes". Reuters. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Turkey condemns Israeli air strikes in Syria". Reuters. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  4. 1 2 Barnett, David (16 May 2013). "Satellite imagery of Israeli airstrike at Damascus airport released". Threat Matrix. Public Multimedia Inc. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  5. 1 2 Evans, Dominic; Holmes, Oliver (5 May 2013). "Israel strikes Syria, says targeting Hezbollah arms". Reuters. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  6. ↑ "Israel: Air strikes were 'against Hezbollah and not the Syrian regime'". 6 May 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  7. ↑ Walker, Peter; Beaumont, Peter (5 May 2013). "Israel carries out second air strike in Syria". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  8. ↑ Scott, David Clark (4 May 2013). "Why Israel bombed Syria, again". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Israel enforces 'red line' with Syria airstrike". ABC News. 4 May 2013.
  10. ↑ "Damascus military facilities 'hit by Israel rockets'". BBC News. 5 May 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  11. 1 2 3 McMahon, Felim (7 May 2013). "Syria – [Public] Analysis of where air strikes blamed on Israel hit – May 05". Storyful. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  12. ↑ Cenciotti, David (8 May 2013). "What kind of target did the Israeli Air Force really hit in Syria?". The Aviationist. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  13. ↑ "Israel carries out second air strike in Syria". The Guardian. 5 May 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  14. ↑ "Syrian Observatory: 42 soldiers killed in Israel strike". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  15. 1 2 "Assad: Syria army capable of confronting Israel". Jerusalem Post. 7 May 2013.
  16. ↑ "Israeli warplanes 'launch air strike inside Syria'". BBC News. 4 May 2013.
  17. ↑ "UN accuses Syrian rebels of chemical weapons use". Telegraph. 6 May 2013.
  18. ↑ "Obama: Israel has right to defend itself from Hezbollah". Times of Israel. 4 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  19. ↑ "Syria air strike: Israel has the right to defend itself, says William Hague". The Guardian. 5 May 2013. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  20. ↑ "Egypt condemns airstrikes against Syria, warns they complicate ongoing civil war". Fox News. 5 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  21. ↑ "Russia 'concern' over Israel air strikes Archived 10 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine ". News.com.au. 6 May 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.