There have been multiple Israeli strikes and incursions into Syria this week, according to the Syrian government. “A government source told SANA that during a field tour on Tuesday by army personnel near Mount al-Manea, south of Damascus, they discovered monitoring and eavesdropping devices there,” Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Syria’s official news agency, reported.
While the Syrians were trying to “deal” with the devices they found, they were “targeted by an Israeli aerial attack that left a number of martyrs, injuries, in addition to destruction several vehicles, the source added,” the report said.
After the strikes, Israel continued to attack the site, and this was “followed by an airborne landing amid continued intensive hovering,” the Syrian government said.
On Wednesday, Syrian media also reported on Israeli attacks. Syria had condemned an attack “carried out by drones belonging to the Israeli occupation forces, targeting a unit of the Syrian Arab Army near al-Kiswah town in the Damascus countryside, which resulted in the martyrdom of six Syrian Arab Army soldiers,” a report said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Damascus had said “that this attack constitutes a serious violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and represents a clear breach of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic,” the report said. “It also comes in the context of the repeated aggressive policies pursued by the Israeli occupation with the aim of undermining security and stability in the region.”
Syria receives Middle East support
Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Sufyan al-Qudah “called on Israel to halt these repeated attacks on Syrian territory, which constitute a flagrant violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Syria and Israel and an assault on the sovereignty of an Arab state, in clear violation of the United Nations Charter.”
Jordan said it supports Syria’s security, stability, sovereignty, and the integrity of its territory.
The region needed to see de-escalation, Jordanian King Abdullah said Wednesday. During his meeting with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana, he discussed the war in Gaza and other issues. “The escalation in the West Bank is deeply concerning,” he was quoted as saying.
While Syria’s government is concerned about the escalation in attacks and reported deaths of several of its soldiers, the government is also treading lightly. It is preparing for the UN General Assembly meetings in September. It also continues to host delegations from abroad to shore up support. For instance, it hosted a US senator and member of Congress this week.
Syria and Libya have agreed to increase ties. Syria also sent a delegation to Baghdad for a Civil Defense ceremony.
Turkey also participated in an international fair in Damascus, and the UK has held recent bilateral meetings with Damascus. Syria and UNESCO recently launched a project to rehabilitate Damascus. There were also talks with Pakistan on cultural ties and with Saudi Arabia on Telecom issues.
Therefore, Syria appears to feel that confrontation with Israel is not helpful at this time. It likely sees Israel as isolated in the region, and that Israel primarily makes news relating to conflict, including Gaza and airstrikes in Lebanon.
Syria, meanwhile, is holding meetings with countries in the region and around the world. Damascus assumes that the long arc of history will show that it has made the right choice to avoid conflict.