After a series of airstrikes near the Syrian capital of Damascus that were apparently meant to target shipments of Iranian-made missiles bound for Hezbollah, Israel increased on Sunday military deployment and strengthened rocket defenses along its northern border as preparation for possible retaliation.
Explosions at the Jamraya military and scientific research center in Damascus on Sunday, being attributed to Israel, were seen by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime as “a declaration of war,” a top Syrian official told CNN.
The airstrikes targeted Fateh-110 (“Conqueror” in Farsi language) short-range ballistic missiles developed by Iran that were believed to be destined for Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant group allied with Iran, across the border.
Sunday’s explosions allegedly by Israel were the second set of airstrikes since Friday, and ahead of a possible collapse of Assad’s regime. Friday’s airstrikes hit near the Damascus airport where the Fateh-110s were being stored.
