The strikes in Hama, Syria
Syria TV, a Syrian opposition media outlet based in Turkey, reported on Wednesday that Israeli ground forces were deployed using ropes as part of the Israeli strike in the Hama region on Sunday, although Israeli aircraft didn’t land in the area. The report claimed that Israeli drones carried out strikes to prevent entry to the area where the forces landed.
The unprecedented Israeli operation in Syria reportedly included several steps: starting with intense airstrikes in the area after which Israeli forces infiltrated an Iranian military complex after lowering from helicopters to the ground and ending with troops seizing documents and arresting Iranians inside of the facility for questioning.
According to the report, clashes at the site led to the deaths of three Syrians and injured others. Two to four Iranians were reportedly captured by Israeli forces. Sources indicated the Syrian regime blocked rescue teams from reaching the area following the attack.
The bodies of military casualties were taken to an undisclosed location and their fate is unknown, while wounded civilians were evacuated to Masyaf National Hospital. Sources also suggested the Syrian regime or elements within it may have facilitated the strike and troop deployment.
The report also noted that a committee of inquiry was established following the attack. In recent weeks, Syrian radars and air defense systems have been subjected to Israeli strikes, leading to the regime's inability to monitor its airspace.
According to Greek researcher Eva Koulouriotis, the forces raided a security complex belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in an operation that lasted about an hour, during which they entered the facility, seized equipment and documents, rigged the building with explosives and destroyed it with additional airstrikes.
Israel's Institute for National Security Studies head, Major General (res.) Tamir Hayman who previously served as the head of the IDF Intelligence Directorate, hinted the operation was "a complex commando raid that presents abilities to destroy a distant underground facility."
On the night between Sunday and Monday, Syria reported an unusual wave of Israeli airstrikes. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syrian opposition group based in London, 18 people were killed and dozens were injured in the strikes. Among the dead were four civilians, six unidentified individuals and the rest were military personnel and local militia operatives.
Since 2014, Iran has been attempting to equip Hezbollah and Shia militias operating on its behalf from Syria with precise missiles and air defense systems. IRFC unit and Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, which have been trying to transfer these weapons from Iran to Lebanon by any possible means, are overseeing these efforts.