Israel strikes Iran-supplied arms depot near Damascus

Israel struck an armssupply hub operated by the Lebanese group Hezbollah nearDamascus airport on Thursday, Syrian rebel and regionalintelligence sources said, targeting weapons sent from Iran viacommercial and military cargo planes.

Video carried on Lebanese TV and shared on social mediashowed the pre-dawn airstrikes caused a fire around the airporteast of the Syrian capital, suggesting fuel sources or weaponscontaining explosives were hit.

Syrian state media said Israeli missiles hit a militaryposition southwest of the airport, but did not mention arms orfuel. It said "Israeli aggression" had caused explosions andsome material losses, but did not expand on the damage.

Israel does not usually comment on action it takes in Syria.But Intelligence Minister Israel Katz, speaking to Army Radiofrom the United States, appeared to confirm involvement.

"The incident in Syria corresponds completely with Israel'spolicy to act to prevent Iran's smuggling of advanced weaponsvia Syria to Hezbollah," he said.

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Two senior rebel sources in the Damascus area, citingmonitors in the eastern outskirts of the capital, said fivestrikes hit an ammunition depot used by Iran-backed militias.

Lebanon's al-Manar television, which is affiliated withHezbollah, said early indications were that the strikes hitwarehouses and fuel tanks. It said there were no casualties.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is backed in hissix-year-old civil war by Russia, Iran and regional Shia militias. These include Hezbollah, a close ally of Tehran andenemy of Israel, which describes the group as the biggest threatit faces on its borders. The two fought a month-long war in2006.

Russia denounced what it called "aggression" against Syria but did not directly blame Israel.

Conduit for arms

Syrian military defectors familiar with the airport say itplays a major role as a conduit for arms from Tehran.

Alongside military planes, there are a number of commercialcargo aircraft that fly from Iran to resupply arms to Hezbollahand other groups. The flights go directly from Iran to Syria,passing through Iraqi airspace.

As well as weapons, hundreds of Shia militia fightersfrom Iraq and Iran have been flown to Damascus internationalairport. Intelligence sources put their numbers at 10,000 to20,000 and say they play a significant role in militarycampaigns launched by the Syrian army.

Israel has largely kept out the war in Syria, but officialshave consistently referred to two red lines that have prompted amilitary response in the past: any supply of advanced weaponryto Hezbollah, and the establishment of "launch sites" forattacks on Israel from the Golan Heights region.

Political message

Speaking in Moscow on Wednesday, where he was attending asecurity conference, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Liebermanreiterated that Israel "will not allow Iranian and Hezbollahforces to be amassed on the Golan Heights border."

During his visit, Lieberman held talks with Russian DefenceMinister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, aspart of efforts by Israel to co-ordinate with Moscow on actionsin Syria and avoid the risk of confrontation.

A statement from the Defence Ministry said Lieberman hadexpressed concern to the Russian ministers over "Iranianactivity in Syria and the Iranian use of Syrian soil as a basefor arms smuggling to Hezbollah in Lebanon."

A Western diplomat said the airstrikes sent a clearpolitical message to Iran, effectively saying it could no longeruse Iraqi and Syrian airspace to resupply proxies with impunity.

Speaking to Reuters in an interview in Washington onWednesday, Katz, the intelligence minister, said he was seekingan understanding with the Trump administration that Iran not beallowed to establish a permanent military foothold in Syria.

Israeli officials estimate that Iran commands around 25,000fighters in Syria, including members of its own RevolutionaryGuard, Shia militants from Iraq and recruits from Afghanistanand Pakistan.