Photo by
Anthony Hershko/TPS-IL on 15 March, 2025
Israel Confirms Striking Syrian Bases as Turkey Moves to Gain Foothold
Jerusalem, 3 April, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Thursday morning it struck the Syrian military bases of Hama and T4 overnight.
The strikes came as Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was said to be preparing to hand over the airfields to Turkey.
In recent days, Israeli officials warned Damascus against giving Turkish forces a foothold in Syria.
“If [al-Sharaa] allows any entity to change the situation in Syria in order to threaten Israel, he will bear the price,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday.
Arab media reports said Turkey was preparing to install air defense systems at the strategic Tiyas airbase, more commonly referred to as T4. The systems would have threatened Israeli air superiority. Israeli media reports also said that Jerusalem was also concerned about the possibility of Turkish drones being stationed at T4 and Hama.
The strikes destroyed runways, fuel depots and radar systems.
The IDF said it also struck other unspecified military infrastructure sites in the Damascus area.
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When the regime of Bashar Assad collapsed in December, Israel launched waves of airstrikes on Syrian army assets and Iranian stockpiles to prevent them from falling into the hands of radical Islamists.
Israel also sent forces into the 235 sq kilometer de-militarized zone to prevent Syrian rebels from approaching the border. Katz said troops will remain in the buffer zone indefinitely.
