Israel allegedly attacks Syrian coastal city of Latakia, close to Russia's air base

On Tuesday morning, the coastal city of Syria, Latakia, which is close to Russia's Hmeimim airfield was attacked by missiles and Syrian state television claims that the attack was carried out by Israel. The local media suggests that the attack was carried out on a cargo site in a commercial port in the Syrian province of Idlib. 

The missiles were launched from the Mediterranean, as per the reports of SANA. Syrian military spokesperson stated that they are attempting to put out fire and damages. There were no initial reports of deaths in the attack.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) did not respond to Syria's claims. According to al-Ikhbariyah TV, the attack appeared to be greater than the one earlier this month, on December 7. The blasts could be heard in Tartus, another coastal city that is more than 80 kilometres away. The port of Latakia is a crucial facility where much of Syria's supplies are stored and where Iran apparently transports weapons and other equipment for its rebels.

Airstrikes against Iran-linked sites in Syria

Though Israel has undertaken airstrikes against Iran-linked sites in Syria on a regular basis, it rarely hit close to Latakia as the Russian military maintains a base of operations nearby. Due to its fragile relationship with Moscow, Israel normally doesn't carry out operations against sites if Russian forces are close, though Israel claims that this well-known policy has encouraged Iran to want to safeguard its weaponry transfers by conducting them near Russian-controlled territories, according to Times of Israel.

Over the years, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets within government-controlled Syria. Many previous strikes have targeted Damascus' main airport, via which Iran is also thought to smuggle advanced weapons. However, Israel has admitted that it targets Iranian soldiers and Iran-allied terror groups, notably along the Golan border.

Bombing of the coastal city of Latakia earlier this month

After Syrian media accused Israel of bombing the coastal city of Latakia earlier this month, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett talked about the incident, saying that Israel's military was continually fighting evil forces in the Middle East, according to Times of Israel. He further stated that in the face of destructive forces, they will act and be tenacious.

Image: AP