Defense Minister Yoav Gallant appeared on Thursday to reference alleged Israeli airstrikes which targeted sites in Syria on Wednesday, stating "last night we received another proof, that in the State of Israel the thunder of the planes is louder than all the other background noises."
"In the end what matters is the performance, not the talk," said Gallant at a pre-Rosh Hashanah toast with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the General Staff Forum.
Strikes targeted precision ballistic missile project involving Iran, Hezbollah
Alleged Israeli airstrikes that hit the area near Hama in central Syria on Wednesday night appear to have targeted a precision ballistic missile project involving Iran, North Korea, and Hezbollah, the Alma Research and Education Center reported Thursday.
a number of buildings on a military base ~14km southeast of Hama were destroyed by the Israeli airstrike yesterday https://t.co/B4HBlzgH3W pic.twitter.com/Gjyn1mly8i
— Samir (@obretix) September 14, 2023
The targeted project, known as Project 99, is located at a branch of the Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) near Tal Qartal, south of Hama, according to Alma. Satellite imagery from Thursday morning shared on social media showed a number of buildings destroyed at the SSRC site.
Syrian reports indicated that the Shayrat Airbase in the Homs region was also targeted during the strikes near Hama, with the Syrian Capital Voice news site reporting that the airbase was partially evacuated and a state of alert was activated. The Shayrat airbase is frequently used by Russian forces stationed in the country.
According to the Capital Voice, the strikes targeted military sites where Iranian weapons and military equipment that had recently arrived in Syria were being stored. According to the report, Syrian air defenses did not respond to the strike.
The strikes near Hama came just hours after an alleged Israeli airstrike targeted Syrian air defense bases near Tartous in a rare daytime strike.
The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that two soldiers were killed and six others were injured in the alleged Israeli airstrike on air defense sites near Tartous.
The Capital Voice reported that the first strikes on Wednesday afternoon targeted a military site where an Iranian air defense and early warning system was located between Dier Alhajar and al-Jamasa near Tartous.
Alma also reported that an advanced Iranian air defense system was believed to be located at the targeted site near Tartous.
The last alleged Israeli airstrikes to target Syria were reported in late August when strikes targeted the Aleppo airport, temporarily putting it out of service.