ALBAWABA - Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on Sunday at the Scientific Research Center in the heavily guarded area of Damascus, which is said to be involved in the development of chemical weapons and ballistic missiles. Israeli public television Kan reported more strikes on the Mezzeh area, which is strategically important in the Syrian capital.
Following a string of strong explosions close to former military command buildings in Damascus, Al Jazeera correspondents reported that fires were starting to break out. Security authorities from Syria and Lebanon, among other sources quoted by Reuters, claimed that suspected Israeli fighter jets were responsible for the assaults.
Israeli aircraft targeted the al-Khalakhla airbase in southern Syria, which Syrian forces had evacuated overnight, according to regional security sources. The base north of Sweida was struck by at least six missile strikes, destroying a sizable ammunition and missile cache that the evacuating troops had left behind.
According to a security officer cited by Israeli public broadcaster Kan, the Israeli military targeted weapons storage locations in southern Syria and close to Damascus International Airport to keep them out of the hands of extremist organizations. Yedioth Ahronoth also reported that Israeli forces had captured southern Syria's Mount Hermon "without resistance."
These bombings follow a dramatic change in Syria's power structure, as the opposition declared early Sunday morning that it now fully controls Damascus. This comes after the Assad administration was overthrown by a string of swift military triumphs by opposition forces, including the seizure of important provinces including Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, and Homs.
