Arabic media: Israeli airstrikes made on strategic T-4 airbase in Syria

Syrian air defense was said to be activated against airstrikes that targeted the base

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
The T4 airbase before and after an alleged Israeli airstrike (photo credit: IMAGESAT INTERNATIONAL (ISI))
The T4 airbase before and after an alleged Israeli airstrike
(photo credit: IMAGESAT INTERNATIONAL (ISI))
Syrian air defense confronted an attack on the strategic T-4 airbase in the Homs province of Syria, Arabic media reported Wednesday night. The base is located in the desert, near the ancient city of Palmyra, and is an important station for the planes and weapons systems of the Syrian regime and Iran. Iran has allegedly moved drones and air-defense systems to T-4 in the past.
Syrian state media and Arabic media have accused Israel of numerous strikes on the location. This was the second airstrike in two days on the country, according to Syrian social media. The other one, on September 1, was near Damascus.
Sources described air defenses being activated over T-4 in an effort to stop airstrikes, Russia’s Sputnik news reported. Social media accounts claimed the strikes came from the south and that the flight path was over an area called Tanf base, which is used by the US.
Monday’s airstrikes allegedly killed five members of pro-Iranian militias, including three non-Syrians. Rumors even indicated a high-level Iranian officer was killed. Social-media reports said it might have been Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force head Esmail Ghaani, who replaced Qasem Soleimani in January.
Ghaani has been to Syria at least once. Iranian sources indicate he was not harmed and that anti-Syrian regime activists spread the rumors.
On Wednesday night, only material losses took place at T-4, regime sources told the press. It was unclear how they knew this within a few minutes of the airstrikes and with no time at night to survey the damage.
The T-4 base, also called Tiyas, is part of the key Iranian network in Syria that links Iran’s Albu Kamal “Imam Ali” base on the Iraqi border with sites at T-2 and T-3 on the road to Homs and Damascus. T-4 is the major strategic base in this part of the country; Iran has used it often.
In July, a Hezbollah member was killed in airstrikes in Syria. In January 2019, former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot was quoted in The New York Times as saying Israel had struck more than 1,000 Iranian targets.


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