Israel strikes western Syria despite recent indirect negotiations aimed at easing tensions
Israel has carried out an airstrike on western Syria, marking the first such aerial assault in nearly a month. The attack occurred just a day after the U.S. envoy to Damascus expressed optimism that the long-standing conflict between the neighboring states could be resolved.
Syrian state media reported late Friday that the Israeli airstrike targeted the coastal city of Latakia, killing one person and injuring three others. Earlier, Syria’s SANA news agency stated that Israeli forces had hit three locations in the rural areas of Latakia and Tartous governorates.
The UK based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also confirmed that military sites near Tartous and Latakia both on the Mediterranean coast were struck, likely by Israeli aircraft.
This latest attack came on the heels of Syria acknowledging recent indirect talks with Israel aimed at reducing hostilities.
The Israeli military later confirmed the strike, stating that it had targeted weapons storage facilities in the Latakia area that housed coastal missiles seen as a threat to both international and Israeli maritime navigation. Additionally, Israeli forces hit surface to air missile components in the same region.
In a statement, the Israeli military declared: “We will continue operations to maintain freedom of action in the region and to fulfill our missions, acting to eliminate any threats to the State of Israel and its citizens.”
The strike closely followed the visit of U.S. envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, who met officials in Damascus with the goal of rebuilding diplomatic ties under Syria’s new administration. Barrack expressed hope for a peaceful resolution, describing the conflict as “solvable” and suggesting that progress should begin with dialogue and a non-aggression agreement to define borders.
Israel and Syria have technically been in a state of war since the first Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948. Tensions intensified after the 1967 war, which also involved Egypt and Jordan, and during which Israel captured the Syrian Golan Heights.
Throughout both the rule of Bashar al-Assad and since his removal, Israel has carried out numerous military strikes in Syria.
Just before Assad’s fall, Israel seized additional Syrian territory near the border, citing concerns over the leadership of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whom it accused of heading a "jihadist" administration.
Earlier this month, during a meeting in Riyadh between U.S. President Donald Trump and al-Sharaa, Trump urged the Syrian leader to consider normalising relations with Israel.
Although al-Sharaa has not directly commented on the possibility of normalisation, he has voiced support for reinstating the 1974 ceasefire agreement, which established a UN-monitored buffer zone in the Golan Heights.
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