Israel Strikes Syria Amid Emerging Dialogue

Israel has conducted airstrikes on western Syria, killing at least one civilian and targeting missile sites near Latakia, just days after Syria confirmed indirect dialogue with Israel aimed at reducing tensions.

Syrian state media reported that Israeli aircraft struck positions near the village of Zama, in the Jableh countryside south of Latakia. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the attack killed one civilian.

The Israeli military confirmed the operation, saying it hit “weapon storage facilities containing coastal missiles that posed a threat to international and Israeli maritime freedom of navigation.” It also claimed to have destroyed parts of Syria’s surface-to-air missile systems.

Timing Raises Diplomatic Questions

The airstrikes mark the first Israeli attack on Syria in nearly a month and follow Damascus’s announcement of indirect talks with Israel, reportedly encouraged by the United States as part of a push for a non-aggression pact.

Despite this diplomatic opening, Israel signaled its intention to maintain freedom of operation in Syria. “We will act to remove any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

Syrian Observatory Confirms Regional Escalation

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrikes hit military facilities near both Tartus and Latakia, strongholds of Syria’s coastal defense network.

Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria over the past decade, but its operations have increased in scope since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December. Israel argues that the new Syrian authorities have ties to jihadist groups and should be denied access to advanced weaponry.