Flashpoint / Global 26 Nov 2023 Golan Heights and South/West Syria Share Facebook Twitter Email Print Back to Map I. Why it Matters Israel’s primary interest in Syria is to prevent a strategic Iranian military presence across Syria, including Iranian construction of military infrastructure and cultivation of local partner forces. Since late 2017 it has targeted Iranian assets in Syria at an increasing pace. These attacks have drawn retaliation, including by Iran, creating the risk that a spiral of escalation will lead to open war between Israel and Iran, which could spill over into Lebanon. In Syria’s south west specifically, Israel has sought to keep Iranian and Iranian-linked forces away from the Golan armistice line, and the risk of Israeli military strikes triggering a broader escalation stands out as the most consequential uncertainty in an attempt by the Assad regime to retake the area from rebel groups. II. Recent Developments 26 November 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli missile strikes against “Damascus International Airport and some points in Damascus countryside”, putting the airport out of service. View More 22 November 2023 Syria state media reported Israeli airstrikes “targeting some points in the vicinity of Damascus”, causing material damage. View More 11 November 2023 The Israeli military reported striking “a wide range of military targets in Lebanon of the Hizbollah terror organisation, in response to fire on Israeli communities in the north over the past day”. The IDF confirmed firing artillery at targets in Syria “in response to two rockets that were fired into the Golan Heights and fell in an open area”. A spokesperson contended that “Hizbollah, with the guidance of Iran, are trying to challenge Israel with the aim of distracting the IDF’s attention from Gaza. We are focused on Gaza and will continue to operate and respond to Lebanon, and Hizbollah specifically, against every firing, every terror cell, that will try to attack Israel”. “In parallel”, he added, “we are also following the Huthi terror, supported by Iran and Hizbollah, with our American partners and other partners in the world”. View More 9 November 2023 The Israeli military reported that “in response to a UAV from Syria that hit a school in Eilat, the IDF struck the organisation that carried out the attack… The IDF holds the Syrian regime fully responsible for every terror activity emanating from its territory”. The same day, the IDF confirmed airstrikes and artillery fire against “Hizbollah terrorist infrastructure” in Lebanon, in addition to other ongoing cross-border exchanges. View More 3 November 2023 The Israeli military reported anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon, against which it replied with artillery. It also confirmed two injuries as a result of a Hizbollah drone operation against a military position; in response it struck a Hizbollah facility. View More 2 November 2023 The Israeli military asserted that “the Iranian Imam Hossein militia, originally stationed in Syria, was deployed to southern Lebanon in an attempt to support Hizbollah. The militia is involved in confrontations with the IDF and terrorist activities against Israel, putting the lives of the Lebanese people at risk”. View More 1 November 2023 The Israeli military reported missile and mortar fire from Lebanon, to which it responded by targeting the sources of the attacks. View More 31 October 2023 The Israeli military reported missile strikes, rocket launches and gunfire from Lebanon against military sites and residential areas in northern Israel, to which it responded by targeting the sources of the attacks and Hizbollah positions as well as striking cells allegedly preparing to fire anti-tank missiles. View More 30 October 2023 The Israeli military reported Hizbollah mortar and missile fire, to which it responded by targeting the sources of the attacks as well as Hizbollah “military infrastructure”. It also struck a cell that were allegedly preparing to launch rockets against a northern Israeli town. The same day, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister remarked that “I am doing my duty to prevent Lebanon from entering the war… For now, Hizbollah has managed the situation rationally and wisely, and the rules of the game have remained constrained to certain limits”. “But at the same time… I cannot reassure Lebanese”, he added. “I cannot rule out an escalation because there is a race to reach a ceasefire before escalation spreads in the entire region”. View More 29 October 2023 The Israeli military reported multiple rocket attacks from Lebanon against military sites and residential areas in northern Israel, in addition to anti-tank fire and a cross-border UAV interception. The IDF responded by striking the sources of the attacks and Hizbollah targets; Hizbollah confirmed one fatality. The same day, the Israeli military announced that it had “struck military infrastructure in Syrian territory” in response to rocket fire. View More 28 October 2023 Hizbollah reported that it had repeatedly targeted northern Israel using guided missiles and artillery. In response, the Israeli military attacked Hizbollah targets and observation posts in southern Lebanon. Unconfirmed accounts also reported Israeli strikes against “Syrian Army posts and pro-Iranian militia positions, in the Quneitra area of southern Syria… reportedly in response to shelling toward the Golan Heights”. View More 27 October 2023 The Israeli military reported that Hizbollah had fired anti-tank guided missiles and small arms; no casualties were reported. The IDF responded with artillery at the origin sites. The same day, it announced foiling “an aerial threat” over the Red Sea, as Israeli officials indicated that a missile that had struck Egypt had been “launched towards Israel by the Huthis”. View More 26 October 2023 The Israeli military struck with a UAV what it said were Hizbollah forces preparing to fire anti-tank missiles towards Israeli forces. View More 25 October 2023 Syrian state media reported that Israel had targeted Aleppo International Airport with airstrikes, putting it out of service. View More 25 October 2023 The Israeli military announced that “in response to rocket launches from Syria toward Israel yesterday, IDF fighter jets struck military infrastructure and mortar launchers belonging to the Syrian Army”; military sources cited by Syria state media reported eight fatalities. The same day, the IDF reported striking with tanks fire and UAV multiple Hizbollah targets that had fired or planned to fire missiles and rockets at northern Israel from Lebanon. View More 24 October 2023 The Israeli military reported targeting multiple Hizbollah cells and facilities that had fired or planned to fire missiles and rockets at northern Israel from Lebanon. The IDF also reported two rocket strikes from Syria, in response to which it fired artillery at the launch location. View More 24 October 2023 Addressing a UN Security Council ministerial meeting, Secretary of State Antony Blinken contended that “for years, Iran has supported Hamas, Hizbollah, the Huthis and other groups that continue to carry out attacks on Israel… In recent weeks, Iran’s proxies have repeatedly attacked U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria, whose mission is to prevent ISIS from renewing its rampage. So let me say this before this council and let me say what we have consistently said to Iranian officials through other channels: The U.S. does not seek conflict with Iran. We do not want this war [between Israel and Gaza] to widen. But if Iran or its proxies attack U.S. personnel anywhere, make no mistake: We will defend our people, we will defend our security – swiftly and decisively”. View More 23 October 2023 The Israeli military reported striking multiple Hizbollah targets that had carried out or were believed to be planning cross-border attacks, in addition to intercepting drones approaching Israel. View More 22 October 2023 The Israeli military reported targeting multiple Hizbollah cells and facilities that had fired or planned to fire missiles and rockets at northern Israel, in addition to striking and intercepting a drone approaching Israel; Hizbollah confirmed five fatalities. Meanwhile, the Israeli government expanded evacuation orders for northern communities. The same day, an Israeli military spokesperson stated that “Hizbollah… is dragging Lebanon into a war… They’re escalating the situation. We see more and more attacks every day”. Prime Minister Netanyahu warned: “If Hizbollah decides to enter the war… It will be making the mistake of its life. We will strike it with a force that it cannot even imagine, that will be destructive for it and for the Lebanese state”. View More 22 October 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes against Aleppo International Airport and Damascus International Airport, killing one and putting both airports out of service. View More 21 October 2023 Hizbollah reported that it had launched multiple guided missiles against Israeli targets. The IDF confirmed five injuries (three military and two civilian) and responded by targeting both the origins of the strikes and cells planning to conduct such attacks, leading to six fatalities, according to Hizbollah. View More 21 October 2023 U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, citing “recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces across the Middle East”, announced “the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery as well as additional Patriot battalions to locations throughout the region to increase force protection for U.S. forces”, adding: “An additional number of forces on prepare to deploy orders as part of prudent contingency planning, to increase their readiness and ability to quickly respond as required”. He also conferred with his Israeli counterpart regarding “the continued provision of security assistance and the U.S. commitment to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war [between Israel and Gaza]”. The following day, Secretary of State Antony Blinken: “We are concerned at the possibility of Iranian proxies escalating their attacks against our own personnel... We’re taking every measure to make sure that we can defend them and, if necessary, respond decisively. Not at all what we’re looking for, not at all what we want, but we’ll be prepared if that’s what they choose to do”. View More 20 October 2023 The Israeli military reported rocket attacks, anti-tank missile strikes and gunfire from Lebanon into northern Israel, killing one soldier and wounding several others; Hizbollah claimed responsibility. In response, the IDF struck Hizbollah military infrastructure and personnel, and intercepted a drone heading towards Israel. View More 19 October 2023 The Israeli military reported that dozens of rockets, claimed by Hamas, and anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel, injuring three. The IDF responded with artillery and airstrikes against Hizbollah targets and launch sites. An Israeli military spokesperson asserted that “Hizbollah will bear the consequences for all the actions”. View More 19 October 2023 The Israeli military reported multiple exchanges with Hizbollah, including anti-tank and missile fire from Lebanon and UAV as well as tank fire in return; Hizbollah reported two fatalities. View More 17 October 2023 The Israeli military announced foiling an infiltration attempt from Lebanon, in addition to multiple rounds of strikes against Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon, killing five. The same day, the IDF reported anti-tank missile and rocket attacks from Lebanon toward northern Israel, injuring two reservists and a civilian. It also reported intercepting a drone approaching Israel over the Lebanese territory. View More 16 October 2023 Hizbollah announced that it had targeted “five Israeli border posts” and an Israeli tank. The Israeli military responded with artillery strikes. The same day, the Israeli government ordered “the implementation of a plan to evacuate residents of northern Israel who live in the area up to 2km from the Lebanese border”. Prime Minister Netanyahu warned Iran and Hizbollah: “Do not test us in the north. Do not repeat your previous mistake because the price you will pay will be much worse”. Relatedly, an IDF spokesperson claimed that “Hizbollah carried out a number of attacks yesterday in order to try to divert our operational efforts [away from the Gaza Strip], under the direction and backing of Iran”. “If Hizbollah dares to test us, the reaction will be deadly. The U.S. is giving us full backing”, he underscored. View More 15 October 2023 Hizbollah said that it had conducted “several strikes on an Israeli post and a settlement near the border with Lebanon, in retaliation for the aggression on Lebanon which killed three Lebanese in the last two days”. According to Israeli sources, the attacks led to two fatalities and several injuries. Separately, Hamas claimed responsibility for firing rockets into Israel from Lebanon. The Israeli military responded by striking Hizbollah facilities and the rocket launch site in Lebanon. The same day, defence minister Yoav Gallant asserted that “we have no interest in a war in the north”, adding: “If Hizbollah chooses the path of war, it will pay a very heavy price… But if it restrains itself, we’ll respect the situation and keep things the way they are, despite shooting from both sides”. View More 14 October 2023 The Pentagon announced the deployment of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean “as part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war following Hamas’s attack on Israel”. The following day, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the bolstered presence was “not meant as a provocation; it’s meant as a deterrent. It’s meant to make clear that no one should do anything that could add fuel to the fire in any other place”. View More 14 October 2023 Hizbollah reported targeting “Israeli military outposts in Lebanon’s occupied Sheba Farms… [with] precision missiles and mortar shells”, in response to Israeli strikes against “a number of Lebanese border towns”. Moreover, the Israeli military announced foiling an infiltration attempt claimed by Hamas, in addition to intercepting multiple drones, both originating from Lebanon. The IDF responded with artillery and airstrikes against Hizbollah’s facilities. The same day, the IDF reported that two rockets fired from Syria landed in open area, to which it responded with artillery against the source of the launch. View More 14 October 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli strikes against Aleppo International Airport, putting it out of service. View More 13 October 2023 Hizbollah reported targeting multiple Israeli border sites in response to what it described Israeli “aggression on… a number of Lebanese towns”. The Israeli military, which also reported downing an unidentified object that had crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon, responded with drone strikes and artillery. View More 12 October 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes against Aleppo International Airport and Damascus International Airport, putting them out of service. View More 11 October 2023 Hizbollah announced that in response to the killing of three its members on 9 October, it had targeted an Israeli border post with what it said were guided missiles. An Israeli soldier was killed during the attack. In response, the IDF launched air and artillery strikes against Hizbollah targets. View More 10 October 2023 CENTCOM announced the arrival of “the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group… in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in order to deter any actor seeking to escalate the situation or widen” in Israel and Gaza. A spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council underscored that one reason for the deployment was “to send a clear, unequivocal message to any actor or nation-state that thinks that this is a chance to try to take advantage of the position that Israel finds itself in”, adding: ”[We] have been in close contact with our Israeli partners and are working with our regional partners to warn anyone who might seek to take advantage in this situation against taking hostile action”. View More 10 October 2023 The Israeli military announced that “in response to the rockets launched from Lebanon at Israel… IDF tanks struck two observation posts belonging to Hizbollah”. This was followed by a further exchange of fire. Separately, the military reported that “a number of launches from Syria aimed for Israel were identified”, to which it “responded with artillery and mortar shells toward the origin of the launching in Syria”. View More 9 October 2023 The Israeli military reported that it had “neutralised a number of terrorist infiltrators who crossed from Lebanon into Israel”, which was claimed by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Three members of the IDF were killed in the clash, and Hizbollah confirmed three deaths as a result of Israeli strikes in Lebanon. View More 8 October 2023 Hizbollah announced that it had struck three sites “in the occupied Lebanese Sheba Farms region… [using] a significant number of artillery shells and guided missiles”. The IDF responded with artillery and a UAV strike against what it described as “Hizbollah terrorist infrastructure in the area of Mount Dov”. View More 1 October 2023 Unconfirmed media reports indicated that Israel had conducted airstrikes near Damascus, said to be “targeting an Iranian weapons shipment” en route to Lebanon. View More 21 September 2023 The Israeli military announced that it had targeted “two temporary structures that were being used by the Syrian army… violat[ing] the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights”, and added: “The IDF holds the Syrian regime responsible for all activities emanating from its territory and will not allow any attempts to violate Israeli sovereignty”. The same day, unconfirmed accounts reported that “two men were killed in an alleged Israeli drone strike in southern Syria”. View More 13 September 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes against “air defence positions in Tartous”, killing two soldiers and injuring six others. The following day, Israel’s defence minister remarked: “Last night, we saw another proof that in Israel, the roar of the jets is greater than all the other noises on the ground... In the end, what counts is action, not words”. View More 11 September 2023 Defence Minister Yoav Gallant presented what he described as evidence of Iran building an airport in Lebanon approximately 20km from the border with Israel, adding: “You can see the Iranian flag flying over the runways, from which the ayatollah regime plans to operate against the citizens of Israel… The land is Lebanese, the control is Iranian, and the target is Israel”. “If it comes to a conflict”, he warned, “Hizbollah and Lebanon will pay heavy and painful prices”. He further asserted that “Israel… will not allow the establishment of a second Hizbollah in the Syrian Golan Heights, and the use of Syrian soil as a springboard for the transfer of [advanced] weapons to Hizbollah”. Gallant also noted that Iran’s “ultimate goal is to create another front against Israel, along the Jordanian border… Iran is also behind the wave of terrorism in Judea and Samaria: funding, weaponry, and direction, with the aim of sowing destruction and terror”. Relatedly, the IDF chief of staff warned that “our enemies may be tempted to see an advantage in the multi-front threat to us. It is better for them to know that when Israel is threatened, it knows how to mobilise all its resources, put the differences aside – and attack”. View More 30 August 2023 During a visit to Damascus, Iran’s foreign minister denounced Israeli strikes in Syria and asserted that “no acts of aggression and crimes by the Zionist regime have gone unanswered and nor will it in the future”. He further called on U.S. forces “to return home and we advise the American authorities to leave the region to the people of the region”. View More 29 August 2023 Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that “the potential for escalation on the northern border is increasing following a blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty by Hizbollah’s military build-up… The UN must urgently intervene to reduce tensions by strengthening the freedom of movement of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon in the region, and implementing its mandate on the northern border”. View More 28 August 2023 Syrian state media reported renewed Israeli airstrikes against Aleppo International Airport, putting it out of service. Media reports citing unnamed regional intelligence sources indicated that “the attack targeted an underground munitions depot run by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps within the compound of Nairab military airport” nearby. View More 26 August 2023 After a senior Hamas official warned that “the Resistance alliance is prepared… to partake in a regional war, and the active parties are ready and prepared for it”, Prime Minister Netanyahu responded: “Hamas, and the other Iranian proxies, understand very well that we will fight with all means against their attempts to use terrorism against us – in Judea and Samaria, Gaza and everywhere else. Whoever tries to hurt us, whoever finances and organises, whoever dispatches terrorists against Israel – will pay the full price”. Two days later, Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared that “no assassination attempt on the Lebanese soil targeting the nationals of Lebanon, Palestine or Iran or other countries would go unanswered”. View More 23 August 2023 Iran’s UN envoy told the Security Council that “Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity persistently endure grave violations, stemming from both the occupation of certain areas by illegal foreign forces and aggressions by the Israeli regime and terrorist groups”. He went on to call “for the complete withdrawal of all illegal foreign military forces from Syrian territory”, and maintained that “there is no other alternative to pursuing a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned settlement with UN assistance”. View More 21 August 2023 Syrian state media reported that Israeli missiles targeted “some sites in the vicinity of Damascus”, injuring one soldier. View More 13 August 2023 The Israeli military reported that “a suspect approached the security fence in the area of Metula on the Blue Line with Lebanon... The suspect hurled a Molotov cocktail toward the fence and caused light damage to the indication cable of one of the culverts in the area of the fence”. View More 13 August 2023 Unconfirmed accounts reported explosions at “missile stockpiles of pro-Iran militias” near Damascus. View More 9 August 2023 Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad contended that “Israeli attacks [in Syria] are mainly directed against the Syrian army... It’s an excuse that it's an Iranian presence”. View More 8 August 2023 During a visit to the border with Lebanon, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hezbollah’s leadership that in the event “an escalation or conflict develops here, we will return Lebanon to the Stone Age. We will not hesitate to use all our power, and erode every inch of Hezbollah and Lebanon if we have to… Don’t mistake us, we don’t want war, but we are ready to protect our citizens, our soldiers, and our sovereignty”. View More 7 August 2023 Syrian state media reported that Israeli missile strikes near Damascus had killed four military personnel, injured four others and inflicted material damage. View More 31 July 2023 During a meeting with his Syrian counterpart in Tehran, Iran’s foreign minister “strongly condemned” Israeli strikes in Syria and called for “the immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syrian soil”. Separately, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Ali-Akbar Ahmadian, told the Syrian diplomat that “in order to disrupt the new de-escalation process in the region, Washington is trying to create fabricated crises in Syria through military campaigns and controlled conflicts, and continues to portray itself as an important and influential actor in Syria to persist with its illegal and illegitimate presence”. View More 18 July 2023 Syria state media reported Israeli strikes near Damascus, injuring two soldiers. View More 15 July 2023 The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots and used crowd dispersal methods against a group of individuals who had crossed the Blue Line; Lebanese media indicated that a parliament member and “a number of journalists suffered suffocation injuries after Israeli troops fired smoke grenades at them as they were touring the border”. View More 12 July 2023 The Israeli military announced that “multiple suspects approached the northern security fence with Lebanon in a sabotage attempt. We operated to distance them from the fence”. Media reports citing an unnamed security source indicated that the individuals were Hizbollah members, three of whom “were wounded by Israeli fire near the border”. View More 6 July 2023 Israel’s military confirmed that “a launch was carried out from Lebanese territory and exploded adjacent to the Blue Line in Israeli territory. In response, the IDF… [targeted] the area from which the launch was carried out in Lebanese territory”. The same day, unconfirmed accounts reported an Israeli air strike against targets described as “Iranian advanced arms depots in Damascus”. View More 2 July 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli missile strikes against “some sites in the vicinity of Homs”, noting: “air defences repelled the aggression which only caused a material damage”. The Israeli military indicated that “an anti-aircraft rocket was launched from Syria toward Israel…the rocket appears to have exploded in the air over Israeli territory”. It subsequently stated that “in response… IDF fighter jets struck an anti-aircraft battery in Syria. In addition, the fighter jets struck additional targets in the area”. View More 29 June 2023 Prime Minister Netanyahu affirmed that “we are working without respite against the attempts of Iran and its proxies to open terrorist fronts against us – in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and in Judea and Samaria. We are also working against Iran’s efforts to develop terrorist cells and capabilities in neighbouring countries, which are not countries in conflict with us. We will not allow Iran to establish itself on our borders. We will not allow it to build precision weapons factories in Lebanon and Syria. And, of course, we will not accept Iran’s intentions to develop a nuclear arsenal. Even if an agreement is signed between the U.S. and Iran regarding the latter’s nuclear program, we will not be bound by this agreement”. View More 29 June 2023 Iran’s UN envoy told the Security Council that “the illegal presence of foreign military forces including the U.S. forces in Syria constitutes a blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law and is the primary source of insecurity in the country. We call for the immediate and complete withdrawal of these unlawful forces”. He further denounced what he characterised as “the continuous acts of aggression and military attacks by the Israeli regime against Syria, particularly those that target civilian infrastructure, alongside the persistent occupation of the Syrian Golan”. View More 26 June 2023 The Israeli military confirmed that an IDF drone fell in Lebanese territory during what it described as routine activity; Hizbollah claimed credit for downing the drone. View More 14 June 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli missile strikes against “some sites south west of Damascus”, causing “serious injury to a soldier and material damage”. View More 31 May 2023 A Palestinian militant group claimed that an Israeli airstrike had killed five of its members near Lebanon’s border with Syria, adding: “This crime is not isolated from the recent accelerating events on the Lebanese and Syrian fronts, and within the framework of continuous Zionist [ie, Israeli] threats targeting resistance forces inside and outside Palestine”. However, media reports cited unnamed Israeli sources denying involvement, and Lebanese sources indicating that the blast was “caused by mines or rockets detonating as they were being moved”. View More 30 May 2023 The U.S. sanctioned five Syrian entities and individuals for having “secretly helped the Syrian regime under Bashar al-Assad and its Hizbollah and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) allies maintain access to the international financial system in violation of international sanctions”. View More 28 May 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli missile strikes against “some sites in the vicinity of Damascus”. View More 25 May 2023 The IDF reported downing “a drone crossing from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory”, adding that it would “continue to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty”. View More 23 May 2023 IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi assessed that Hizbollah “thinks it understands how we think. This thought brings it to dare and challenge us where it is sure it will not lead to war. I see this as a good way to create surprises if necessary”. He further highlighted that “we have good preparedness in the northern arena. A campaign in the northern arena will be difficult on the home front. We will know how to deal with it, but it will be difficult. It will be seven times harder for Lebanon, and even more so for Hizbollah”. Halevi also discussed Syria and argued: “Iran uses Syria for a potential war zone with Israel… We are not indifferent to this. I would remind Bashar Assad of one very interesting fact in an era where data is being talked about: The countries that clung to Iran became failed states. If he wants to build after the civil war, let him take that to heart”. View More 22 May 2023 A senior IDF official asserted that Hizbollah’s leadership was “close to making a mistake that could plunge the region into a big war. [Hassan Nasrallah] is close to making this mistake from Lebanon or Syria”. Noting bullishness on the part of Syria’s government, he went on to assess that “all this creates a high potential for an escalation in the region and we need to be prepared that our enemies won’t understand the message we’re sending. Let them not be mistaken, we’re ready to use force and we will do whatever is possible and necessary to bring calm”. View More 22 May 2023 Israel’s defence minister estimated that “since I took office, the number of Israeli strikes against the Iranian in Syria have doubled... We are working methodically to strike the Iranian intelligence capabilities in Syria. These strikes inflict significant damage to the attempts by the Revolutionary guard to establish a foothold a few kilometres from the Israeli border”. He further asserted that “Iran aims to expand its reach to the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and even the shores of the Mediterranean... This is a structure plan designed to threaten trade and flight route - both military and civilian - and to create a permanent threat in the maritime arena”. View More 8 May 2023 Iran’s defence minister met with his Syrian counterpart, and expressed readiness “to cooperate with the Syrian Arab Republic in establishing factories and launching production lines of strategic defence equipment”. View More 8 May 2023 Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson welcomed Syria’s readmission in the Arab League, asserting that “settling difference among Islamic countries and convergence and synergy among them positively affects stability and inclusive peace and paves the way for reduction in expedient foreign interventions in regional affairs”. Secretary of State Antony Blinken remarked that “we do not believe that Syria merits re-admission to the Arab League. It’s a point we have made to all of our regional partners, but they have to make their own decisions. Our position is clear: We are not going to be in the business of normalising relations with Assad and with that regime”. View More 4 May 2023 Defence Minister Gallant warned that “over the past six months, Iran has sent aircraft to Syria on a weekly basis, delivering weapons to be used for terrorism. The Syrian regime should be aware that the IDF will respond forcefully to any attacks launched from its territory. We will not allow Iran to establish military power in Syria, or to build a ‘highway’ for the delivery of advanced weapons to Lebanon”. View More 3 May 2023 President Raisi visited Syria and met with President Bashar al-Assad, asserting: “Just as the Islamic Republic stood by the Syrian government and nation in the fight against terrorism, it will also stand by its Syrian brothers in the field of development and progress". The two sides inked a “Comprehensive Program of Strategic and Long-Term Cooperation”, and fourteen other agreements in various fields, including oil and energy. Raisi, who described his trip within Iran’s ”framework of supporting the resistance”, also reiterated that “the presence of Americans in Syria not only does not create security, but also disrupts the security of Syria and the region. The faster the Americans leave Syria, the more secure Syria will be”. A U.S. diplomatic spokesperson maintained that “the Iranian regime and the Assad regime continuing to deepen their ties should be of great concern to not just our allies and partners and countries in the region, but also the world broadly”, adding: “We will not normalise relations with the Assad regime. And we do not support others normalising with Damascus either… The U.S. believes that a political solution that is outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2254 is the only viable solution to this conflict in Syria”. The following day, Raisi met with Palestinians in Damascus, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials, insisting that “the unity and cohesion of the resistance forces, the region and the Islamic world is necessary to accelerate the defeat of the Zionist regime [ie, Israel] and the liberation of the Holy Quds and the sovereignty of the Palestinians over their destiny”. View More 1 May 2023 Prime Minister Netanyahu told the Knesset that “the first and most urgent challenge is the joint effort by Israel and the U.S. to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons… We will not allow Iran to place a noose of terrorism around us – not in Syria, not in Lebanon, not in Gaza, and not in Judea and Samaria. We will not allow Iran to entrench itself militarily on our borders and we will do everything to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons”. View More 1 May 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes in Aleppo, killing one soldier, injuring seven (five soldiers, two civilians) and putting the airport out of service. View More 29 April 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli missile strikes near Homs, wounding three civilians and causing fire in “an oil station and a number of tankers”. View More 24 April 2023 Media reports indicated that Israel had “shelled targets in southern Syria”. According to unconfirmed accounts, the targets were Hizbollah-linked militias. View More 20 April 2023 Defence Minister Gallant assessed that “we are facing a new security era in which there may be a real threat to all arenas at the same time. We operated for years under the assumption that limited conflicts could be managed, but that is a phenomenon that is disappearing. Today, there is a noticeable phenomenon of the convergence of the arenas”. “Iran”, he continued, “is the driving force in the convergence of the arenas. It transfers resources, ideology, knowledge and training to its proxies… The increasing dependence [of the proxies] on Iran leads them to step over the boundaries and become more brazen”. Gallant further highlighted that “we continue to systematically damage Iranian assets and capabilities in the region. We will not allow Iran to establish an Iranian army in Syria, we will not allow the Golan Heights to become Lebanon, and we will not allow Syrian territory to be a springboard for advanced weapons heading to Lebanon... In the first quarter of 2023 we doubled the rate of attacks in Syria. We are systematically attacking [Iranian] intelligence and military capabilities”. View More 19 April 2023 The IDF reported that an Israeli drone had suffered a technical malfunction and fell in Syrian territory. There were also unconfirmed accounts of Israeli artillery fire against Iran-linked sites in southern Syria. View More 18 April 2023 President Raisi asserted that “the enemies of the Islamic revolution, especially the Zionist regime [ie, Israel], have received the message of the power of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran that the slightest mistake against our country will be responded with a harsh response and will be accompanied by the destruction of Haifa and Tel Aviv”. View More 16 April 2023 Israel’s defence minister asserted that “Iran is waging a multi-front war of attrition against the State of Israel... [and] continuing its attempts to establish itself on the northern front and at the same time sending its proxies to Judea, Samaria and Gaza”. The following day, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen underscored that “the way to change Iranian behaviour is through massive economic and political pressure, in every sector of Iranian interests... [along with a] military threat against it”. View More 13 April 2023 Prime Minister Netanyahu contended that “we hit the Iranians, we attacked Syria, we attacked Hizbollah and Hamas targets in Lebanon... Hamas won’t be allowed to open another front in Lebanon, and I think that message was received”. “We attacked in many different ways, and not everything was visible”, he added. View More 12 April 2023 Amid a visit by Syria’s foreign minister to Saudi Arabia, a U.S. official asserted that “our position is clear: we will not normalise relations with the Assad regime absent real progress towards a political solution to the underlying conflict… We have also made clear that the core architecture of our sanctions remains firmly in place”. View More 8 April 2023 The Israeli military reported that “three rockets were launched from Syrian territory toward Israel, two of them crossed into Israeli territory”, It subsequently struck “the launchers in Syria from which [the] rockets were launched” using a UAV. View More 6 April 2023 The Israeli military confirmed that at least “34 rockets… were fired from Lebanon into Israel. 25 rockets were intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defence Array, while five landed in Israeli territory. Four additional launches are under review”. Three people were reportedly injured. A military spokesperson said that “Hamas was behind the rocket attack from Lebanon. The Lebanese government is responsible for any attack from its territory. We are checking if there was any Iranian involvement in the rocket attack”. The following day, Israel conducted airstrikes targeting what the military described as “infrastructures belonging to Hamas in southern Lebanon”, asserting: “The IDF will not allow the Hamas terrorist organisation to operate from within Lebanon and hold the state of Lebanon responsible for every directed fire emanating from its territory”. The IDF also downed a drone that had entered Israel from Lebanon. View More 4 April 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli missile strikes against “some points in the vicinity of Damascus and the southern region”, killing two. The same day, Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson opined that “the more the path of diplomacy and convergence is strengthened in the West Asia region, the more the adventurous measures of the usurping Zionist regime [ie, Israel] increase”. View More 3 April 2023 Iran’s UN ambassador wrote to the Security Council condemning U.S. 23 March strikes in Syria, and maintaining that Iran had “never been involved, directly or indirectly, in any attacks against the U.S. military forces in Syria and Iraq”. He called on the U.S. to “end its illegal occupation” of Syrian territory, while maintaining: “Iran’s presence in Syria is fully legal and is based on a formal request and consent from the Syrian government to provide assistance and support in the fight against terrorism. The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its inherent right to self-defence under international law and will take decisive measures to protect its forces, interests and facilities from any threat or unlawful act perpetrated by the U.S. or others”. View More 2 April 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes against “some sites in the city of Homs and its countryside”, wounding five soldiers and causing material damage. Also, Israel’s military confirmed downing a drone, assessed to be Iranian, that entered Israeli airspace from Syria. In comments the same day, Defence Minister Gallant contended that “we have tensions on all fronts. The Iranians are extending their outreach to Judea and Samaria and Gaza, and are attempting to entrench themselves in Syria and Lebanon. We will not allow the Iranians and Hizbollah to harm us. We have not allowed it in the past, we won’t allow it now, or anytime in the future”. “If necessary”, Gallant warned, “we will push them out of Syria to where they belong – and that is Iran”. View More 31 March 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes “targeting a site in Damascus countryside”. Iran’s IRGC confirmed the death of two IRGC personnel during the attack, pledging revenge against Israel. View More 30 March 2023 Syrian state media reported that Israel had launched “a number of missiles… [against] some sites in the vicinity of Damascus”, wounding two soldiers and causing material damage. View More 22 March 2023 Syrian state media reported that Israeli missile strikes had “targeted Aleppo International Airport, causing material damages”. Unnamed intelligence sources were cited as indicating that the target was “an underground munitions depot linked to the nearby Nairab military airport, where missile systems delivered on several Iranian military planes had been stored”. View More 21 March 2023 A U.S. diplomatic spokesperson reaffirmed that “we will not normalise with the Assad regime, nor will we encourage others, absent authentic and enduring progress towards a political resolution in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254… We continue to urge anybody engaging with Damascus to consider sincerely and thoroughly how their engagements can help provide for Syrians in need, no matter where they live”. View More 12 March 2023 Syrian state media reported that Israel had “carried out an aerial act of aggression with bursts of missiles… targeting some sites in the countryside of Tartous and Hama provinces”, injuring three. View More 7 March 2023 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes against Aleppo International Airport, putting it out of service. Syrian foreign ministry condemned the attack and said it had “targeted one of the main channels for the delivery of humanitarian aid from inside and outside Syria to the victims of the devastating [6 February] earthquake”. View More 24 February 2023 Iranian state television declared that “Syria needs to rebuild its air defence network and requires precision bombs for its fighter plans… It is very likely that we will witness the supply by Iran of radars and defence missiles, such as the 15 Khordad system, to reinforce Syria’s air defences”. View More 19 February 2023 Syrian state media reported that Israel had fired “waves of missiles… [against] some points in Damascus city and its surroundings, including residential neighbourhoods”, killing five and injuring fifteen. View More 25 January 2023 Iran’s UN envoy told the Security Council that “the presence of foreign forces in the north of Syria under the pretext of combating terrorism should not be used to violate and undermine Syria’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity... In order to create conducive grounds for ending the crisis in Syria, all uninvited foreign forces must leave that country without any precondition or delay, and terrorist groups must be confronted”. He further urged the Council to “compel the Israeli regime to end all acts of aggression against Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity immediately”. View More 13 January 2023 Outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi reported that “we crossed 52 operations [against Iranian-related targets] in 2022”, adding: “Iran still has a desire… to put weapons and advanced capabilities in Syria… but there is no doubt that we have prevented what was supposed to be there. They wanted hundreds of surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles. They wanted tens of thousands of militiamen and a second Hizbollah. All of this was thwarted completely”. Asserting that the IDF had stopped more than 90 per cent of Iranian arms going into Syria, Kohavi noted: “Some of our action is to block the crossings – by air, ground or sea – and some is to hunt what gets in. Just look at the media reports and understand where we operate”. View More 10 January 2023 Prime Minister Netanyahu, visiting IDF Northern Command, asserted that “the main enemy that we face is the terrorist regime in Iran and its proxies in Syria and Lebanon. We are determined to fight Iran’s attempts to develop a nuclear arsenal. We are determined to fight any attempt by Iran to entrench militarily in Syria on our northern border. We are determined to fight any attempt by Hizbollah to show aggression against us in Lebanon. Whoever needs a reminder about our red lines on this matter will receive it”. During the same visit, Defence Minister Gallant maintained: “the security establishment will prevent Iran from entrenching in Syria and will sever the channels by which Iranian weaponry is transferred to Lebanon and Hizbollah… In addition to maintaining quiet, we will take strong action against any attempt to attack Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers”. View More 3 January 2023 Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that “we will work openly, from a position of strength, in the international arena against a return to the nuclear agreement [ie, JCPOA], not only in talks with leaders behind closed doors but strongly and openly in the sphere of global opinion, which is now aware of the true dangers posed by Iran – the Iranian regime that is killing innocent citizens in and beyond Iran”. He added: “In contrast to the prevailing opinion that this dangerous nuclear option has disappeared from the agenda following the recent events in Iran, I think that this possibility has not yet finally disappeared from the agenda”. Netanyahu further affirmed that “we will also take vigorous action to prevent the Iranian military entrenchment in Syria and elsewhere and we will not wait”. View More 2 January 2023 Syrian state media reported Israel airstrikes against “Damascus International Airport and its vicinity”, killing two, wounding two others and causing damage to the airport. View More 20 December 2022 The Syrian military reported two injuries and material damage as a result of Israeli airstrikes near Damascus. View More 10 December 2022 Unconfirmed accounts reported an Israeli air strike against “a radar site belonging to the Syrian military” in southern Syria. View More 29 November 2022 Iran’s UN envoy told the Security Council that “security and stability in the north of Syria can only be achieved by preserving and fully respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and any military operation in the north of Syria would only make the already challenging humanitarian situation even worst”, while denouncing what he described as “the robbery of Syrian people’s natural resources, particularly oil products, in areas occupied by foreign forces”. He further asked the Council to condemn “ongoing aggressions and terrorist attacks of the Israeli regime against Syria”. “[Israel’s] systematic and intentional targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, particularly the attacks on commercial airports and humanitarian shipments, are a flagrant violation of international law”, he added, while underscoring Syria’s right to self-defence. View More 23 November 2022 The IRGC announced that a colonel “serving as a military adviser in Syria, was martyred by the Zionist regime’s [ie, Israel’s] agents through a roadside bomb near Damascus”. It added that there would “undoubtedly” be a response. View More 19 November 2022 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes against “some posts in the central and coastal region”, killing four soldiers and injuring one. View More 13 November 2022 Syrian state media reported Israeli missile strikes against a “military airport in Homs countryside”, resulting in two deaths and three injuries. View More 8 November 2022 A U.S. official denied U.S. involvement in an airstrike against a purported fuel convoy at the Syria-Iraq border; media reports citing “people familiar with attack” suggested that Israel had been targeting a suspected arms shipment. View More 27 October 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes had targeted “some positions in the vicinity of Damascus”. View More 24 October 2022 Syrian state media reported an Israeli missile strike against “some positions in the vicinity of Damascus”, injuring one soldier. View More 21 October 2022 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes against “a number of posts in the surroundings of Damascus”. View More 19 September 2022 The IDF reported that it had identified four individuals “hurling objects along the border fence with Syria toward Israel… IDF soldiers crossed the border and operated to stop them by firing toward the legs of one of the suspects. One of the suspects was injured and evacuated by a helicopter to a hospital”. View More 17 September 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes had targeted Damascus International Airport and some sites south of Damascus, killing five soldiers and causing material damage. View More 11 September 2022 Prime Minister Yair Lapid asserted that “Israel is working to prevent Iran from establishing terrorist bases throughout the Middle East and especially in Syria… Israel will not allow Syria to be used as an axis for the transfer of weapons to terrorist organisations, and will not accept the establishment of Iranian bases or militia bases on our northern border”. The following day, Defence Minister Benny Gantz posited that Iran had built “production facilities [in Syria] for mid- and long-range precise missiles and weapons, provided to Hizbollah and Iranian proxies. In other words, it became yet another Iranian front – a factory for advanced, strategic weapons”. “These sites, particularly the underground facility at Masyaf”, Gantz added, “host significant threats to the region and to the State of Israel… Masyaf, specifically, is used to produce advanced missiles”. He also said, “the Iranians are currently working to build missile and weapon industries in Lebanon and Yemen… If this trend will not be stopped, within a decade, there will be advanced Iranian industries across the region, producing weapons and spreading terror”. View More 6 September 2022 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes at Aleppo International Airport, knocking out the runway. View More 31 August 2022 Syria state media reported Israeli airstrikes against targets in south east of Damascus and Aleppo International Airport; the latter attack caused “severe damage”, according to Syria’s foreign ministry, making the runway unusable. Syria’s foreign minister described the operations as “playing with fire” and warned: “Syria will not remain silent… and the Israelis will pay the price sooner or later”. “The U.S and Western countries should be held responsible for encouraging Israel to increase its aggressions”, he added. View More 25 August 2022 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes around Hama and Tartous, injuring two and causing material damage. View More 14 August 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israel had launched missiles against targets near Damascus and Tartous, killing three soldiers and injuring another three. Media reports citing Syrian sources suggested that the former site was manned by Hizbollah, and the latter said to be “an Iranian base”. View More 12 August 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israel had fired “two tank missiles" at a village in Quneitra, injuring two. View More 22 July 2022 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes against “some points in the vicinity of Damascus”, killing three soldiers and injuring seven. Syria’s foreign ministry wrote to the UN emphasising its “right to respond by appropriate means”, while contending: “These Israeli attacks cannot be treated in isolation from the U.S. aggression… and its occupation of north east Syria, its looting of oil and supplying of weapons to the militias hired by Washington in order to impede the political solution and the restoration of security and stability to Syria”. Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson denounced the attack, urging the UN Security Council “to deal with continuous crimes and high-risk conduct” of Israel. View More 20 July 2022 Iran, Russia and Turkey convened a meeting of the “Astana Process” talks over Syria and jointly reaffirmed “their determination to continue working together to combat terrorism”, “rejected all attempts to create new realities on the ground under the pretext of combating terrorism, including illegitimate self-rule initiatives” and “expressed their opposition to the illegal seizure and transfer of oil revenues that should belong to Syria”. The three countries also condemned “the continuing Israeli military attacks in Syria including civilian infrastructures... as destabilising and intensifying the tension in the region”. View More 20 July 2022 President Raisi told Syria’s foreign minister that “America’s withdrawal from east of the Euphrates and the entire region is the basic and root solution to the crises in West Asia”. The same day, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian conferred with his Syrian counterpart on “ways forward for all-out expansion of ties between the two countries, regional developments and international issues”. View More 6 July 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israel had launched a rocket that struck near Quneitra, killing one. View More 3 July 2022 During a visit to Damascus, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian told President Bashar al-Assad that “we are opposed to use of military operations to resolve problems… Problems must be solved and concerns must be dispelled through direct talks and cooperation”. He also offered “unwavering support for the resistance to ensure lasting security in the region against the threats posed by the fake Israeli regime”. Amirabdollahian also conferred with his Syrian counterpart on “the capacities of both states for further enhancement of mutual relations in political, economic, industrial and commercial fields”, noting that “Iran’s technical and engineering capabilities can contribute to the implementation of the two countries’ joint big projects”. View More 2 July 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israel had “carried out an air missile aggression… [against] several poultry farms” in western Syria, resulting in two civilian injuries and material damage. View More 10 June 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israel had conducted air strikes against “some post south of Damascus”, injuring one and causing material damage. Service at Damascus airport was halted, with the transport ministry asserting that the strike “caused heavy damages to the airport’s infrastructure”. Speaking with his Syrian counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian condemned the attack and asserted Iran would “always stand with the government and people of Syria”. View More 6 June 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israel had conducted air strikes against “some sites south of Damascus City”, causing material damage. View More 24 May 2022 Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian conferred with his Syrian counterpart on bilateral relations while reiterating “Iran’s determination to provide necessary assistance to Syria to overcome the negative impacts of the Western coercive measures imposed on the country”. View More 20 May 2022 Syrian state media reported three fatalities in what it said were Israeli missile strikes south of Damascus. View More 17 May 2022 Referring to the transfer by Iran of what he described as “accurate munitions” to its regional allies, Defence Minister Benny Gantz declared: “Israel will continue to halt these efforts and prevent the threat to its citizens and the region”, adding: “The quantity of this strategic weapon in the hands of Iranian emissaries has increased significantly in the past year. In Iraq, there are hundreds of [munitions]; many dozens have been added this year. In Yemen, the number of [munitions] has increased in the past year, and the Huthis hold dozens of them”. View More 16 May 2022 Visiting Northern Command, Defence Minister Benny Gantz asserted that “Israel will continue to act against any enemy that threatens it, and prevent the transfer of advanced capabilities from Iran that endanger the citizens of Israel and harm the stability of the entire region”. He further described the objective of a month-long military exercise as “preparing for various scenarios against our enemies in the various theaters, and against Hizbollah and Hamas, which also operates from Lebanon”. View More 13 May 2022 Syrian state media reported Israeli missile strikes against “some points in the central region”, causing five civilian fatalities and injuries to seven to others. View More 12 May 2022 The U.S. announced a general license “authorising specific economic activities in certain non-regime-held areas of north east and north west Syria”, asserting that it “supports the Biden Administration’s strategy to defeat ISIS by promoting economic stabilisation in areas liberated from the terrorist group’s control”. The State Department noted that “the authorisation does not permit any activity with the Government of Syria or other sanctions persons”, and went on to underscore that it did “not indicate any shift in the Administration’s policy towards the Assad regime”. View More 11 May 2022 Syrian state media reported Israeli missile strikes in Quneitra, causing material loss; there were further reports of artillery fire in the area. View More 8 May 2022 President Bashar al-Assad visited Tehran and met with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Raisi. View More 27 April 2022 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes “targeting some sites in the vicinity of Damascus”, killing four soldiers and injuring three. View More 25 April 2022 The IDF reported that an Israeli drone had landed in Syrian territory during what it described as routine activity, with “no fear of information leak“. View More 14 April 2022 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes near Damascus, causing material damage. View More 11 April 2022 Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz indicated that “Israel is operating against weapons transfers and other Iranian threats. In the recent period, we are seeing more stability in Syria and I see that there is some activity between Syria and members of the Arab League. If Assad wishes to be part of the [near] region, he will have to [cut] his negative ties to Iran and the terror that emanates from Syria”. View More 9 April 2022 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes in the central region, causing material damage. View More 4 April 2022 IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi assessed that Israeli strikes “had a decisive impact on preventing the entrenchment of Iranian forces in Syria, on preventing the establishment of Hizbollah forces in the southern Golan Heights, on preventing enemy intensification with advanced weapons systems, and on the direct and immediate thwarting of threats to infiltrate Israel”. View More 24 March 2022 Iran’s UN envoy told the Security Council that “Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be jeopardised in the name of fighting terrorism.… All occupying and uninvited foreign forces, including those of the U.S., must leave the country immediately and without any conditions”. He further denounced Israel’s “repeated violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, urging the Council to hold Israel “accountable for such acts of aggression and malice, as well as its blatant threats to use force against other regional countries”. View More 23 March 2022 During a visit to Damascus, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian conferred with President Bashar al-Assad on, inter alia, “the expansion of economic cooperation” and also hailed “the trend of the normalisation of ties between regional countries and Syria”, while highlighting that “as for regional tensions, the Islamic Republic opposes any war and supports resolution of disputes through dialogue and political means”. View More 18 March 2022 CENTCOM Commander Kenneth McKenzie indicated that “I do worry about… [military] exchanges between Iran and Israel because many times, our forces are at risk, whether we’re in Iraq or in Syria”. View More 15 March 2022 CENTCOM Commander Kenneth McKenzie described Iran as “the greatest single day-to-day threat to regional security and stability”, noting that “the risk of miscalculation and escalation remains high because of Iran's strategic calculation that it can simultaneously and discretely engage in diplomacy with and a proxy campaign against the U.S.”. McKenzie's statement to a Senate committee further addressed the role of Iran and Iran-backed groups in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. View More 7 March 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israel had conducted missile strikes near Damascus, killing two and causing material damage. The following day, Iran announced the death of two IRGC members in the attack, warning that Israel would “pay the price of this atrocity”. On 10 March, Iran’s UN ambassador told the Security Council that “Iran reserves its inherent right to self-defence… to respond to such criminal act whenever it deems appropriate”. View More 26 February 2022 Iran’s UN ambassador told the Security Council that “the fight against terrorism cannot be used as an excuse to undermine Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The illegal presence of foreign forces in parts of Syria which has provided favorable conditions for terrorist activities in Syria, must end immediately”. The Iranian diplomat further denounced Israel’s “repeated violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity… We call on the Security Council to hold this regime accountable for such acts of aggression and its malign activities as well as its open threats to use force against other regional countries”. The following day, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, met with his Syrian counterpart. View More 24 February 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israel had conducted “an aerial aggression with bursts of missiles” against sites near Damascus, killing three soldiers and causing material damages. View More 23 February 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israel had launched surface-to-surface missiles against “areas in the vicinity of Quneitra… causing material damages”. View More 17 February 2022 The Israeli military reported intercepting “a Hizbollah drone that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli airspace”, and in a second incident downed a drone launched by Hamas in Gaza. View More 16 February 2022 Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah remarked that “we now possess the ability to transform our thousands of rockets into precision-guided missiles… We started that years ago and converted a large number of our missiles into precision-guided ones, so we do not need to bring them from Iran”. “We have been producing drones in Lebanon for a long time”, he added. Nasrallah further noted that Israel “tries throughout its aggression in Syria to prevent the reach of precision-guided weapons to the resistance in Lebanon. I tell the Israelis that what they call a ‘battle between wars’ has turned the threat into an opportunity for the resistance”. View More 16 February 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israel had “launched an aerial aggression with a number of ground-to-ground missiles”, causing material damages near Damascus. View More 13 February 2022 Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid underscored that “there’s a good mechanism with… the Russians in Syria. Israel, as usual, will operate as it sees fit to protect its security in all theaters, and will not accept long-term Iranian presence on its northern border”. View More 9 February 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israel had launched airstrikes and surface-to-surface fire against targets near Damascus, killing one soldier and injuring five. Syrian air defences were activated and the Israeli military confirmed that “an anti-aircraft missile was launched from Syria and exploded mid-air”, in response to which the IDF “struck surface-to-air missile targets in Syria, including radar and anti-aircraft batteries”. View More 3 February 2022 President Biden announced that “we have taken off the battlefield… the leader of ISIS” as the result of a military operation in north-western Syria. View More 31 January 2022 Syrian state media reported that Israel had “launched an aerial aggression with bursts of missiles… targeting some points in the vicinity of Damascus”, causing “material damage”. Unconfirmed accounts claimed that “Hizbollah positions, outposts and weapon depots” were targeted. View More 31 January 2022 A U.S. diplomatic spokesperson reaffirmed that “we continue to believe that now is not the time for normalisation [with Syria under Assad]. Now continues to be the time for accountability for the atrocities of the regime”. View More 28 January 2022 Prime Minister Naftali Bennett remarked that “we and the Americans don’t see everything eye to eye… A deal that will send tens of billions of dollars to this rotten and weak regime will be a mistake”. “We think Iran is in a difficult situation”, Bennett added. “They’re very weak, and we must not give them a tailwind of money, and we relay this message. But the Israeli strategy doesn’t depend on whether there’s an agreement or not… Even if there is an agreement, we’re not committed to it”. The prime minister went on to describe two objectives for Israel’s strategy: “to roll back Iran’s regional influence… [and] keep Iran significant far from nuclear breakout forever”. View More 26 January 2022 The U.S.’s UN envoy told the Security Council that Washington’s goals in Syria included “sustaining the U.S. and Coalition campaign to prevent the resurgence of ISIS… [and] to support a political process, one led by the Syrian people, as envisioned and agreed by this Council in Resolution 2254”. During the same session, Iran’s ambassador maintained that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria continues to be seriously violated either through the occupation of parts of the country or by the aggression of the Israeli regime and the terrorists… While the Syrian crisis has no military solution, it cannot also come to an end without ending its occupation, restoring its sovereignty and territorial integrity and confronting the threat of terrorism”. View More 5 January 2022 The Israeli military reported that IDF tanks had “fired shells aimed at chasing away... suspects” near the Syrian border. View More 28 December 2021 Israel’s military chief of staff assessed that “the increase in the scope of operations over the past year has led to a significant disruption of all smuggling routes into various arenas by our enemies… But we still have a long way to go to complete our goals in this arena”. View More 28 December 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had “launched an aerial aggression with a wave of missiles… targeting the container yard at the commercial port in Latakia”, causing “significant material damages”. Unconfirmed accounts claimed that “two members of a pro-regime militia were killed” and three others injured. The same day, Defence Minister Benny Gantz, without commenting on the incident, affirmed that “Israel will not allow Iran to stream game-changing weapons to its proxies and to threaten our citizens”. Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson condemned the attack. View More 20 December 2021 An Iranian diplomat told the Security Council that it “must compel the Israeli regime to end the occupation of the Syrian Golan and also stop immediately its aggressions against Syria”, adding: “all occupying and uninvited foreign forces must leave that country without any precondition or further delay”. View More 16 December 2021 Syrian state media reported Israeli “aerial aggression through launching waves of missiles… targeting some sites in the southern region”, killing one and causing material damage. View More 7 December 2021 The U.S. designated “two Syrian Air Force officers responsible for chemical weapons attacks on civilians, and three Syrian intelligence officers in Syria’s repressive security and intelligence apparatus”. View More 7 December 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had fired “several missiles… targeting the container yards at the commercial port of Latakia”. In subsequent remarks, Prime Minister Bennett, while not addressing the incident specifically, asserted: “we’re pushing back on the bad forces of this region, day and night… This happens almost daily. In the face of destructive forces, we will continue to act, we will be persistent and we will not tire”. View More 7 December 2021 U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan assessed that “since Donald Trump made the decision to pull the U.S. out of the Iran Nuclear Deal in 2018, Hizbollah has continued to menace Lebanon and the region. Iran’s proxies in Iraq and Syria and Yemen have continued to move forward. So, not being in the nuclear deal has hardly been a solution to the proxy”. He further asserted that “nothing about the nuclear deal stops the U.S.’s capacity to deal with those proxies. And we are prepared to do so”, adding: “ultimately, an Iran with a nuclear weapon is going to be a greater menace in partnerships with its proxies than Iran without one. And so it is our determination to ensure they never get a nuclear weapon, and diplomacy is the best way forward”. View More 6 December 2021 Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian met with his Syrian counterpart and noted “the need for special focus on promoting economic and trade relations”. He further denounced “the Zionist [ie, Israeli] regime’s aggression against Syria”, and charachterised “the military presence of foreign forces without coordination with and permission from the Syrian government as a source of insecurity in the region, particularly in Syria”. The Syrian minister also met with President Raisi, who asserted that “comprehensive planning should be done to develop and deepen relations”. View More 24 November 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had launched “a wave of missiles… targeting some posts in the central region”, resulting in two fatalities, seven injuries and material damages. View More 23 November 2021 Calling Iran “Israel’s single most significant enemy”, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett maintained that “Iran is further along in its nuclear program than ever before and its enrichment machine is more advanced and broader… Iran has also been consistently and persistently successful in encircling Israel in rings of militias and rockets from every direction”. Bennett proceeded to lay out four conclusions from a review of Israel’s Iran policy, and, positing that “we are at a significant point in this battle – Israel vs Iran”, asserted: “even if there is a return to the JCPOA, Israel obviously is not a party to the agreement and is not obligated by it… We will maintain our freedom of action”. View More 17 November 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had launched “two missiles… targeting an empty building south of Damascus”, adding: “one of the hostile missiles was downed, and no losses were reported”. View More 16 November 2021 On the sideline of a military drill in northern Israel, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett asserted that “we are surrounded by security challenges and the goal is to utilise periods of relative quiet to build up strength”, adding: “we are dealing with Iran and its proxies, in Lebanon and Syria. It does not matter what occurs between Iran and the major powers. We are concerned by the fact that there is not enough firmness in the face of the Iranian violations; Israel will defend itself, by itself”. Speaking alongside Bennett, Defence Minister Benny Gantz remarked that “the world needs to take action against Iran, and Israel needs to continue to do what it needs to on all fronts in general, and on the northern front in particular”. View More 12 November 2021 The U.S. State Department underscored that “terrorist groups like ISIS in Syria directly threaten U.S. national security and the Syrian people. The U.S. remains committed to the military mission against ISIS. We will maintain our mission in Syria until the threat posed by the terrorist group is eliminated”. View More 9 November 2021 Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz maintained that “on an operational level, we are acting extensively. We won’t allow Hizbollah and other Iranian proxies in the area to be equipped with weaponry that will harm Israel’s [military] superiority in the region”. Relatedly, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, told Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that “the IDF will continue to act to remove threats and will respond forcefully to any violation of [Israeli] sovereignty, in Gaza or in the north”, adding: “[the army] is accelerating operational planning and preparedness to deal with Iran and the military nuclear threat”. View More 8 November 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had conducted airstrikes against “a number of posts in the [country’s] central and coastal” regions, injuring two. Unconfirmed accounts claim the targets were “Iranian-controlled weapons caches”. The Russian army later confirmed that “the Israeli air force… launched eight guided missiles at logistical and military support facilities of the Syrian armed forces in the Homs governorate. Syrian air defence units destroyed six of those missiles using Russian-made… air defence systems”. View More 3 November 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had “launched an aerial aggression with a number of missiles… targeting one of the posts in [the] Damascus countryside”. View More 30 October 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had “fired a salvo of surface-to-surface missiles from northern occupied Palestine targeting positions near Damascus”, injuring two. Unconfirmed accounts said the target had been a weapons convoy, and put the toll at five fatalities. View More 27 October 2021 Iran’s UN envoy told the Security Council that “the occupation of parts of Syria by foreign forces must come to an end... all occupying and uninvited foreign forces must leave that country without any precondition or further delay”. He further urged the Council to “compel the Israeli regime to end the occupation of the Syrian Golan and also stop immediately its aggressions against Syria”. The official also denounced “in the strongest terms” the killing of a former Syrian lawmaker, which he attributed to Israel, “as well as all violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria by the Israeli regime”, noting “Syria’s inherent right to self-defence and to respond at a time and place of its choosing”. View More 25 October 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had conducted an “aggression on the southern region”, which unconfirmed reports speculated had been targeting Syrian military or allied facilities in Quneitra province. A Syrian foreign ministry source denounced the attack and underscored Damascus’s “right and ability to respond”. View More 22 October 2021 Meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett indicated that the two would “discuss the situation in Syria and, of course, our efforts to halt the Iranian military nuclear program”. An Israeli minister accompanying the prime minister subsequently stated that Bennett had “presented his world view on ways to stop Iran’s nuclear drive and Iran’s entrenchment in Syria”, adding that “it was decided to keep policies vis-a-vis Russia in place [regarding airstrikes in Syrian territory]”. View More 16 October 2021 The Syrian government accused Israel of killing a former Syrian lawmaker who headed the cabinet’s Golan portfolio. View More 13 October 2021 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes near Palmyra, which according to an unnamed military source killed one soldier and injured three. Iran-linked forces in Syria confirmed “a number” of casualties and said that had “taken a decision to respond to this attack… and the response will be very cruel”. View More 13 October 2021 Secretary of State Antony Blinken remarked that “keeping violence down; increasing humanitarian assistance and focusing our military efforts on any terrorist groups that pose a threat to us or to our partners, with the intent and capacity to do that… are going to be the critical areas of focus for us, and they’re also, I think, important to advancing a broader political settlement to the Syrian conflict consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2254”. He further noted that “what we have not done and what we do not intend to do is to express any support for efforts to normalise relations or rehabilitate Mr. Assad, or lifted a single sanction on Syria or changed our position to oppose the reconstruction of Syria until there is irreversible progress toward a political solution”. View More 11 October 2021 Prime Minister Naftali Bennett asserted that “Iran, which has dispatched proxies and built armies to surround the State of Israel, aspires to build yet another army on the border of the Golan Heights. We will continue to act wherever and whenever necessary, at our initiative, and on a daily basis, in order to roll up the Iranian presence in Syria. They have nothing to look for there”. View More 9 October 2021 Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian visited Damascus and met with President Bashar al-Assad and other senior Syrian officials. During his trip, Amirabdollahian asserted that “our ties with Syria are strategic and we are trying to expand our cooperation with the country in all fields. Syria is on the path of development and progress, and on this path, Iran will strongly stand by Damascus, as it did during the war on terrorists”. View More 8 October 2021 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes at the T-4 base near Homs, and cited an unnamed military source saying that “six soldiers were injured in the aggression which also caused material damages”. View More 28 September 2021 Iran’s UN ambassador told the Security Council that “occupation of parts of Syria by foreign forces must come to an end. Accordingly, all uninvited foreign forces must leave that country without any precondition or further delay”. He further maintained that “the Security Council must live up to its responsibility and compel the Israeli regime to put an immediate end to its acts of aggression against sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria”, adding: “such adventuristic practices, which we condemn in the strongest terms, constitute flagrant violations of international law, threatening regional and international peace and security”. View More 27 September 2021 Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the UN General Assembly that “Israel is, quite literally, surrounded by Hizbollah, Shiite militias, Islamic Jihad and Hamas... And they’re all backed by Iran. They get their funding from Iran, they get their training from Iran, and they get their weapons from Iran”. Bennett also said that “just this year, Iran made operational a new deadly terror unit — swarms of killer UAVs armed with lethal weapons that can attack any place any time… Iran plans to arm its proxies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon with hundreds and then thousands of these deadly drones”. View More 23 September 2021 Hizbollah reported that “the second ship delivering diesel oil from the Islamic Republic [of Iran] docked in [Syria’s] Banias Port”. View More 22 September 2021 The Israeli military confirmed that one its drones had crashed “due to a technical malfunction” in the course of “routine operational activity” in Syria. View More 9 September 2021 Foreign Minister Yair Lapid contended that “there won’t be stability in Syria, or in the wider Middle East, while there is an Iranian presence… [Israel] will not sit quietly by while Iran builds terror bases on our northern border or while Iran supplies advanced weapons to terror organisations”. View More 6 September 2021 IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi maintained that “a significant chunk of the boost to the defence budget” related to “greatly accelerated” planning for operations targeting Iran’s nuclear program, adding: “It’s a very complicated job, with much more intelligence, much more operational capabilities, much more armaments. We’re working on all these things”. He also indicated that the Israeli military’s priority was “minimising Iranian presence in the Middle East, with an emphasis on Syria. But these operations take place throughout the Middle East. They’re also against Hamas, against Hizbollah”. “[Israeli strikes] greatly diminished Iran’s presence and weaponry in the northern arena, certainly in comparison to what they sought”, Kohavi asserted, also noting that the IDF had been “very active in disrupting the smuggling routes of Hizbollah, of Hamas, of Iran, in all regions”. View More 3 September 2021 Syrian state media reported an Israeli airstrike targeting the vicinity of Damascus. The IDF subsequently indicated that debris from a Syrian surface-to-air missile had fallen in Israeli territory, and according to local media the Israeli Air Force targeted its Syrian point of origin. View More 29 August 2021 Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian visited Syria and met with senior officials including President Bashar al-Assad. According to a Syrian readout, the two conferred on, inter alia, “steps… to enhance bilateral cooperation with the aim of reaching a higher level of partnerships at various levels, particularly in the economic and trade fields, in a way that enables the two peoples to continue facing the repercussions of the blockade and sanctions imposed on the two countries”. View More 20 August 2021 Syria state media reported “an Israeli missile aggression on the surroundings of Damascus and Homs cities”. View More 17 August 2021 Syria state media reported what it claimed were Israeli missile strikes around Quneitra. View More 15 August 2021 The Israeli military reported that one of its drones suffered a “technical malfunction” and crashed while undertaking “routine activities” in Syrian territory. View More 9 August 2021 The U.S. announced that it had “applied the measures authorised in Section 3 of the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act” against, inter alia, Kataeb Hizbollah, Asaeb Ahl al-Haq and Lebanese Hizbollah. View More 4 August 2021 The Israeli military reported that “three rockets were… fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel. Two rockets landed in Israel”. In response, the IDF conducted artillery strikes against “targets along the Lebanese border”, and underscored that “the Lebanese government is responsible for all attacks from Lebanon”. Defence Minister Benny Gantz subsequently maintained that “our actions overnight were meant to send a clear message that we will not accept such attacks. I hope we are not forced into further action”. “Lebanon is in a state of chaos caused in a large extend by the Hizbollah terror group”, he added. View More 3 August 2021 Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett asserted: “regarding the ship and the Iranian issue in general: We are working on enlisting the world but at the same time, we also know how to act alone. Iran already knows the price that we exact when someone threatens our security. The Iranians need to understand that it is impossible to sit peacefully in Tehran and from there ignite the entire Middle East”. “Against Iran, speeches are not enough”, Bennett added. View More 28 July 2021 The U.S. designated “eight Syrian prisons run by the Assad regime’s intelligence apparatus… and five senior security officials of regime entities that control these detention facilities”. It also blacklisted “Syrian armed group Ahrar al-Sharqiya… [and] two of the group’s leaders”. View More 25 July 2021 A Russian military official reported that Syrian air defences had intercepted two Israeli strikes against targets in Damascus governate. View More 22 July 2021 Syrian state media reported Israeli missile strikes near Homs. View More 19 July 2021 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes near Aleppo. The Israeli army subsequently confirmed that “two rockets were fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel”, which was followed by Israeli artillery fire into Lebanon. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned that “we will not allow harm to Israel’s sovereignty and security. Whoever tries to harm us will pay a painful price”. He further contended that “Lebanon is on the verge of collapse, like any country in which Iran bases itself… Its citizens were taken hostage by Khamenei and Nasrallah for the sake of Iranian interests”. “This is unfortunate, but we will not accept a spillover of the situation in Lebanon into Israel”, he added. View More 28 June 2021 The foreign ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS issued a joint statement expressing their commitment “to strengthening cooperation across all Coalition lines of effort in order to ensure that Daesh/ISIS Core in Iraq and Syria”. On Iraq, they deplored “the continuing attacks against Coalition personnel and convoys, and diplomatic facilities, emphasising the importance of the Government of Iraq protecting Coalition assets”, while hailing “the incremental expansion of NATO’s non-combat advisory, training and capacity building mission”. Regarding Syria, the ministers backed “a lasting political settlement in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254”, while noting that “the Coalition continues to support inclusive local recovery and stabilisation in areas liberated from Daesh/ISIS and reconciliation and reintegration efforts to foster conditions conducive to a Syria-wide political resolution to the conflict under the parameters of UN Security Council Resolution 2254”. View More 28 June 2021 The U.S. along with eighteen countries, the League of Arab States and the European Union jointly reiterated “strong support for UN-led efforts to implement all aspects of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, including continued support for an immediate nation-wide ceasefire, the unimpeded and safe delivery of aid, and the Constitutional Committee, as well as fighting against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”. Emphasising “the unity and territorial integrity of Syria”, they expressed commitments “to continue working actively to reach a credible, sustainable and inclusive political solution based on Resolution 2254”. View More 24 June 2021 Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz asserted that “we wish for peace and calm, but we are willing to use our full capabilities should we be required on any front, including the Lebanese front. Attempts to sabotage the quiet on our borders have not gone unnoticed, and we are opening our eyes and acting routinely, and we are prepared for extensive activities even in an emergency”. President Rivlin, too, indicated that “we know the threat is still grave... We are aware of Hizbollah’s attempts to continue to grow stronger with Iranian support and arm itself with weapons whose only purpose is to harm the State of Israel’s Homefront”. He further reiterated that “Israel will not allow Iran to establish itself in Lebanon. The State of Israel will not allow Iran to send its satellite states here, to the Middle East”. View More 17 June 2021 Media reports indicated that the Israeli military had “struck a Syrian outpost near the city of Quneitra” with tank fire. View More 8 June 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had “launched an aerial aggression from the Lebanese airspace against some targets in the central and southern regions”. View More 1 June 2021 An Israeli military spokesperson reported that the IDF had “destroyed a forward observation post of the Syrian army that was set up in an Israeli area west of the Alfa line in the Golan Heights”, asserting that Israel would not “tolerate any attempt to violate [its] sovereignty”. View More 26 May 2021 Addressing the UN Security Council, Iran’s envoy called for preserving “the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria through ending the occupation of its territory including the occupied Syrian Golan, withdrawing of all uninvited foreign forces from that country, ceasing to support any separatist tendencies or illegitimate self-rule initiatives and preventing the violation of Syrian sovereignty particularly by acts of aggression of the Israeli regime”. View More 25 May 2021 A Pentagon spokesperson underscored that “nothing’s changed about the [U.S.’s] mission in Syria, which is about counter-ISIS operations, in keeping with the work that the coalition has been doing since 2014. It is certainly a small presence, less than 1,000”. He also indicated that “we as a government would simply urge all actors act in such a way inside Syria so as to not contribute more to the instability, the insecurity and rather in fact contribute to a peaceful political outcome”. View More 20 May 2021 Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that “while we’re fighting on various fronts, the true backer of much of this aggression is Iran. Iran not only supports completely the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, and gives them all the finance, they also give weapons to Hamas as well as to Hizbollah and they provide the scaffolding on which these organisations really work”. He also indicated that “a few days ago, Iran sent an armed drone from Iraq or from Syria… which our forces intercepted on the border between Israel and Jordan and that I think says everything on the true patron of terror in the Middle East and in the world: Iran”. In related remarks, Netanyahu contended that “the support for Hamas and Islamic Jihad comes from Iran. If you take away Iranian support, both of them would collapse in two weeks”. View More 17 May 2021 The Israeli military indicated that “six rockets were… fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel, all of which fell inside Lebanon. In response, our artillery forces fired toward the sources of the launches”. An Israeli military spokesperson was cited as saying that “a small Palestinian faction… was responsible”. The following day, the IDF reported intercepting “a UAV [which had] approached the Israeli border near the Jordan Valley”. View More 14 May 2021 The Israeli military reported that “IDF tanks fired warning shots toward a number of rioters who crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory. The suspects sabotaged the fence and set a fire in the area before returning to Lebanese territory”. Media reports noted one Lebanese fatality who was identified as a Hizbollah member, and President Aoun “strongly condemned the crime committed by Israeli forces”. Later in the day, the IDF indicated that “three rockets were... fired from Syria toward Israel, one of which fell in Syria”. View More 12 May 2021 Foreign Minister Javad Zarif met with his Syrian counterpart and discussed, inter alia, “Tehran’s support for the Syrian nation and government against the inauspicious phenomena of extremism and terrorism”; Zarif also posited that U.S. sanctions were “depriving the Iranian and Syrian people of [the] COVID-19 vaccine”. According to an Iranian readout, the Syrian official “appreciated Iran’s support for the people and government of Syria, and underlined the necessity of the two countries’ cooperation”. Zarif also met President Bashar al-Assad and noted the “role that can be played… by pioneering countries behind the Axis of Resistance” in supporting the Palestinian cause, and updated Assad regarding “the latest developments in the Vienna nuclear talks… as well as the regional movements of the Islamic Republic of Iran in relations with other countries in the region”. View More 10 May 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had conducted an air strike near Quneitra, injuring one person. View More 9 May 2021 Syrian state media reported that a “technical fault” resulted in a fire aboard an oil tanker off the Syrian coast. View More 6 May 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had conducted air strikes near Quneitra. View More 5 May 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had “launched an aerial aggression… targeting some positions in the coastal region”, killing one person and injuring six. View More 29 April 2021 Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen maintained that “a bad deal [with Iran] will send the region spiraling into war… Anyone seeking short-term benefits should be mindful of the longer-term”. He further asserted that “Israel will not allow Iran to attain nuclear arms. Iran has no immunity anywhere. Our planes can reach everywhere in the Middle East - and certainly Iran”. Relatedly, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. underlined that “the freedom of action of Israel to prevent Iran from becoming an existential threat is a freedom of action that will be preserved… [and] the current [U.S.] government respects”. He also indicated that in bilateral discussions, Israel and the U.S. “agreed on the principle of transparency and not to surprise each other [regarding the Vienna talks] and I think we are both keeping to it”. View More 29 April 2021 Discussing Iran-Israel tensions, CENTCOM Commander Kenneth McKenzie stressed that “it is not our desire to have a war with Iran. And we would hope it is not their desire to have a war with us… There is a low-level conflict that’s being fought out across the theater. But we do not intend to enter that conflict”. View More 27 April 2021 U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley reported a “good discussion… with our GCC partners regarding the status of JCPOA talks and regional security” as nuclear negotiations resumed in Vienna. The same day, senior Israeli and U.S. national security officials convened for discussions in Washington, and per a White House readout “discussed their serious concerns about advancements in Iran’s nuclear program in recent years”; the two sides also “agreed on the significant threat posed by Iran’s aggressive behavior in the region”, with the U.S. side expressing “President Biden’s unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself”. They also formed “an inter-agency working group to focus particular attention on the growing threat of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Precision Guided Missiles produced by Iran and provided to its proxies”. View More 24 April 2021 Syria’s oil ministry reported a fire aboard a tanker off its coast and said the cause was “believed to be an attack by a drone coming from the direction of Lebanese territorial waters”. However, Iranian media subsequently cited a Syrian military official indicating that the “accident occurred due to carelessness and lack of safety measures”. View More 22 April 2021 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes against sites near Damascus, injuring four, and added: “The army air defences intercepted the hostile missiles and downed most of them”. The Israel Defense Forces subsequently confirmed that “a surface-to-air missile was fired from Syria to Israel’s southern Negev. In response we struck the battery from which the missile was launched and additional surface-to-air batteries in Syria”. U.S. Central Command Commander Frank McKenzie assessed that the Syrians “were responding to Israeli strikes on targets in Syria… I do not believe it was an intentional attack, but just rather a lack of capability on the part of the Syrian air defenders”. View More 20 April 2021 Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz affirmed that the IDF “is ideally prepared along the northern border and definitely on the Lebanese front”, adding: “We are aware of Hizbollah’s attempts to challenge us in new ways… We will deal with any threat. If Hizbollah challenges the IDF and the State of Israel, it will suffer very, very heavy consequences and I hope they don’t do that”. View More 13 April 2021 The U.S. Intelligence Community’s 2021 Annual Threat Assessment indicated that “Iran is determined to maintain influence in Syria… [It] is pursuing a permanent military presence and economic deals in Syria as the conflict winds down there. Tehran almost certainly wants these things to build its regional influence, support Hizbollah and threaten Israel”. The report further assessed that “U.S. forces in eastern Syria will face threats from Iranian and Syrian-regime-aligned groups, mostly through deniable attacks”. View More 11 April 2021 Prime Minister Netanyahu maintained that “the fight against Iran and its metastases and against Iranian armament is a huge task. The situation as it exists today is not necessarily how it will exist tomorrow”. In related comments, Israel’s military chief of staff remarked that “the Israel Defense Forces’ actions throughout the Middle East are not hidden from our enemies’ eyes. They are watching us, seeing our capabilities and carefully considering their next steps”. View More 8 April 2021 The Syrian defence ministry reported that Israeli airstrikes targeted the vicinity of Damascus, injuring four and causing material damage. View More 30 March 2021 The U.S. unveiled “more than $596 million in new humanitarian assistance to respond to the Syrian crisis”, with the U.S. UN ambassador underscoring the importance of “unhindered humanitarian access and aid to all Syrians in need through all avenues available, including through cross-border assistance”. View More 16 March 2021 Syrian state media reported Israeli missile strikes on “some targets in the surroundings of Damascus”, which unconfirmed reports identified as “two ammunition depots belonging to Iranian militias”. View More 15 March 2021 Marking the tenth anniversary of the Syrian war, the U.S., jointly with the E3 and Italy, issued a statement urging “the regime and its supporters [to] engage seriously in the political process” and reaffirming “the pursuit of a peaceful solution which protects the rights and future of all Syrians, based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254”. Relatedly, Iran UN envoy urged “the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces present in Syria without the permission of its Government, particularly U.S. forces”, adding: “We condemn the continued Israeli military attacks in Syria. They are unlawful, provocative, and destabilising. That regime must be compelled to put an end to such military adventurism”. View More 11 March 2021 A U.S. diplomatic spokesperson reiterated that “we’ll use a variety of tools at our disposal to push for a sustainable end to the Syrian people’s suffering. We’ll continue to support the UN’s role in negotiating a political settlement in line with the relevant UN resolutions, including UNSCR 2254”. “If there is to be a sustainable end to this conflict, we recognise that the Syrian Government must change its behaviour”, the spokesperson asserted, adding: “Bashar al-Assad has not done anything that would restore his legitimacy… There is no question of the U.S. normalising relations with his government anytime soon. There is no question that we will stand, that we will seek to support the humanitarian plight of the Syrian people as we seek a political settlement”. View More 28 February 2021 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes targeting “the vicinity of Damascus”. View More 25 February 2021 The Pentagon confirmed that “at President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces… conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilised by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria. These strikes were authorised in response to recent attacks against American and Coalition personnel in Iraq, and to ongoing threats to those personnel”. “This proportionate military response”, the statement added, “was conducted together with diplomatic measures, including consultation with Coalition partners”, while noting: “We have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to de-escalate the overall situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq”. The Syrian government denounced the action as “a coward[ly] aggression”, while Iran’s foreign ministry referred to it as “illegal aggression” by the U.S. View More 25 February 2021 Foreign minister Javad Zarif conferred with his Syrian counterpart on bilateral relations and the Syrian peace process. View More 24 February 2021 Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz maintained that “we all need to make sure that if an agreement is signed with Iran, it will be one that ends its nuclear project, enables long-term effective oversight and inspection and puts a stop to Iranian entrenchment in Syria, Yemen and Iraq”. “In parallel”, Gantz added, “the IDF is currently working to build up our forces and is preparing itself for any scenario, including one in which we would need to take operative action to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons”. View More 22 February 2021 Foreign Minister Javad Zarif warned that “if Israel attacks Iran, this will amount to committing suicide”, while maintaining that “our goal in Syria is to combat terrorism, and Israel must realise that the policies of supporting terrorist groups will not go unanswered”. He further remarked that “the mistake of our neighbours is that they have allowed Israel to transfer the conflict to their lands, and it will rob them of security and will not defend them”. View More 17 February 2021 Iran, Russia and Turkey convened a meeting of the “Astana Process” talks over Syria, jointly reaffirming “determination to combat terrorism in all forms and manifestations and stand against separatist agendas aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria as well as threatening the national security of neighbouring countries”. The three countries also “condemned continuing Israeli military attacks in Syria” and “reaffirmed their commitment to advance viable and lasting Syrian-led and Syrian-owned, UN-facilitated political process in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254”. Relatedly, a senior Iranian diplomat met with the UN special envoy for Syria. View More 16 February 2021 Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel that “if you attack our towns and civilians, we’ll attack yours. You are an army state, so there’s no distinction whatsoever between Israeli soldiers and civilians”. “We are not seeking a confrontation or war”, he added. “But should a confrontation take place, we will engage in it... even the game of ‘a few days of fighting’ will be a dangerous game for the Israelis and would lead them to undesirable consequences”. Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz subsequently remarked: “If we have to go to battle, Lebanon will tremble and Hizbollah will be fatally wounded”. “If there are days of fighting… they will be difficult for the Israeli home front, but it will be difficult and terrible first and foremost for our enemies”, he added. “This is especially true for Hizbollah and Hamas, which are building offensive capabilities from within civilian areas and committing war crimes”. View More 15 February 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had launched “waves of missiles… on a number of targets in the surroundings of Damascus”. View More 14 February 2021 A senior Iranian diplomat asserted that Iran’s “presence in Syria is aimed at combating Daesh [ie, ISIS] and other terrorist groups, but if Israel wants to cross the ‘red lines’, it will face the toughest response, which will make it regret its actions”. “Iran’s presence in Syria will continue as long as the country’s government and people ask for it… those who have illegally come to Syria and occupied its territories are those who should leave the country”, he contended. View More 10 February 2021 A senior Iranian diplomat visited Damascus and met with President Bashar al-Assad as well as the Syrian foreign minister. The Iranian official discussed with Assad “Iran’s viewpoints and stances regarding the Astana Process and the fifth meeting of Syria’s Constitutional Committee in Geneva”. View More 8 February 2021 Secretary of State Anthony Blinken remarked that “as a practical matter, the Golan is very important to Israel’s security. As long as Assad is in power in Syria, as long as Iran is present in Syria, militia groups backed by Iran, the Assad regime itself – all of these pose a significant security threat to Israel, and as a practical matter, the control of the Golan in that situation I think remains of real importance to Israel’s security”. He further noted that “legal questions are something else. And over time, if the situation were to change in Syria, that’s something we’d look at. But we are nowhere near as that”. Prime Minister Netanyahu subsequently said: “With an agreement, without an agreement, we are not coming down from the Golan. It will remain a sovereign part of the State of Israel”. View More 8 February 2021 Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz asserted that “the IDF is operating and will keep operating on the border and beyond… we will not hesitate to uproot the Iranian entrenchment near our borders, and [Hizbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah knows well that his decision to build bunkers of ammunition and rockets and to strengthen Hizbollah’s capabilities is putting him in danger and putting the lives of Lebanese citizens in danger”. He also warned: “If a confrontation occurs on the northern front, the State of Lebanon will be the one that pays the heaviest price because [the ammunition and rockets] are in civilian areas”. View More 3 February 2021 The Israeli military reported that “anti-aircraft missiles were… fired toward an IDF UAV during routine activity over Lebanon. The aircraft was not hit and we continued our mission as planned”. View More 3 February 2021 Syria state media reported that Israel had launched "air-to-surface and surface-to-surface missiles against some targets in the southern region". View More 2 February 2021 A U.S. diplomatic spokesperson remarked that “we will renew U.S. efforts to promote a political settlement to end Syria’s civil war in close consultations with our allies, our partners and the UN. A political settlement must address the underlying causes that led to nearly a decade of civil war”. He further stated that “we will use the tools at our disposal, including economic pressure, to push for meaningful reform and accountability, and we’ll continue to support the UN’s role in negotiating a political settlement in line with UNSCR 2254. We will also restore U.S. leadership in providing humanitarian aid”. View More 1 February 2021 Hizbollah reported downing an Israeli drone that had entered Lebanese airspace. The Israeli military confirmed that “during operational activities by IDF troops on the Lebanese border, an IDF drone fell in Lebanese territory”. View More 1 February 2021 Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz remarked that “when I tell you I know there are homes in Lebanon that have guest rooms and missile rooms, it’s not just a slogan. It’s the reality on the ground. Eventually, we will have to attack missiles that are being stored within civilian populations. This is verified intelligence, and we saw the repercussions of such reckless practice by Hizbollah in the port of Beirut”. View More 31 January 2021 Unconfirmed media reports indicated that suspected Israeli strikes had “targeted sites belonging to pro-Iranian militias” in north-eastern Syria. View More 22 January 2021 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes against Hama in north-western Syria, which it said caused eight casualties. View More 13 January 2021 Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes in eastern Syria. Unconfirmed estimates from monitoring groups suggested that “at least 57 fighters were killed and dozens wounded” in the operation, which an unnamed U.S. official said had been “carried out with intelligence provided by the U.S.” An Israeli minister, without confirming Israeli involvement in the incident, underscored that “the Iranians want permission from Assad to act freely in Syria, to transform it into the model of Hizbollah… this is all to deter us from acting against its nuclear program”. The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and urged the UN “Security Council… [to] take immediate and decisive measures to prevent the repetition of those Israeli terrorist aggressions”. The IRGC subsequently denied any casualties among Iranian and Afghan forces in the strike, claiming that Israelis “do not dare to attack the Iranian and resistance groups’ centers and positions in Syria”. View More 6 January 2021 The GCC Supreme Council denounced “the Iranian existence in the Syrian territories and Iran’s interference in the Syrian affairs, demanding to expel all Iranian forces, Hizbollah militias and all sectarian militias that Iran recruited to work in Syria”. View More 6 January 2021 Syrian state media reported that Israel had “carried out a missile aggression from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan on some targets in the southern region”. View More 2 January 2021 An IRGC commander indicated that “what you see in missile power existing in Palestine’s Gaza and Lebanon is supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran… Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and other Islamic countries enjoy pinpointing missiles to confront the Zionist regime”. “Iran will support anyone and/or any country that confronts the Zionist regime [ie, Israel]”, he underscored. View More 30 December 2020