Overnight Monday, Israeli forces struck Syrian Navy vessels at Latakia and Tartus, destroying the majority of the country's fleet. In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces took responsibility for the attack and said that it had targeted Syrian assets afloat and ashore "to prevent them from falling into the hands of terrorist elements."
Syria's government and military collapsed under the weight of a rebel assault last week, and former President Bashar al-Assad - an accused war criminal - fled to seek asylum from Russia, his regime's longtime sponsor. Syrian social media accounts are filled with footage of crowds rejoicing in the streets and tearing down symbols of the Assad government.
Israel, which shares a long border with Syria, is concerned about its own security, given the nature of the nation's new leadership. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization and a one-time supporter of Al-Qaeda; though it has long since renounced its association with the anti-American terror group, HTS is still an Islamist movement, and its ascendence has been received with wariness in the region.
Israel moved quickly to liquidate the remaining vehicles, aircraft and vessels of the Syrian armed forces, conducting more than 300 airstrikes in the span of 48 hours. According to Israeli analysts, Syria's military no longer exists as a modern, mechanized fighting force.
WATCH??
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) December 10, 2024
Footage Shows Assad’s Navy After Israeli Strikes in Latakia, Syria
That’s some serious damage. pic.twitter.com/yPIN89n9Xu
? In 48 hours, the IDF struck most of the strategic weapons stockpiles in Syria to prevent them from falling into the hands of terrorist elements. ????????????????’???? ???????????? ????????????????????????????????????:
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 10, 2024
? Naval Operations: Israeli Navy missile ships struck 2 Syrian Navy facilities… pic.twitter.com/6N1fz7BiMF
???? Syria: Israeli Air Force is bombing Russia's Tartus naval base. pic.twitter.com/BI30X5vBif
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) December 9, 2024
Israel is attacking the ports in Latakia and Tartus. even if russian ships are not the specific targets, making these ports unusable for russia is a huge blow and cuts russia’s supply lines to Africa.
— Rocke Fella - NAFO Raccoon ? (@NAFORaccoon) December 9, 2024
This multipolar world nonsense is being put to its grave before it ever… pic.twitter.com/Bo5ADHJO0x
????????????Israel completely destroyed the Syrian navy, which was located in Tartus, Syria#Syria #Israel #Assad pic.twitter.com/faAsDXc1us
— Authentic World Updates (@worldupdates245) December 10, 2024
As part of the brief, intense campaign, the Israeli Navy conducted missile strikes on Syrian naval assets. Drone footage from Latakia shows rows of destroyed Syrian surface combatants; open-source analysts have cataloged at least six destroyed Soviet Osa-II class missile boats, along with one Petya-III class frigate. The Osa-II was designed to carry the Soviet Styx anti-ship missile, an outdated design vulnerable to jamming. Until recently, Syria was known to have 10 Osa-II missile boats in its inventory; they saw action against Israel in 1973, during the Yom Kippur War, with little success. It appears unlikely that they will face Israeli forces again.
Reversal of fortune for Syria's armed forces
Up until its collapse last week, the Assad regime had an informal truce agreement with Israel, explains defense analyst and former British military intelligence officer Jonathan Campbell-Jones. Under Assad, Israel could intervene militarily to deter Iran and Hezbollah within Syria, so long as it did not interfere with government-aligned units participating in the civil war. The Syrian Navy never had a meaningful role in the conflict, and was never targeted - until Monday.
"The only time there were direct clashes between Israeli forces and the Syrian Armed Forces was when Syria attempted to interdict or intercept Israeli attacks on Iranian or Hezbollah targets, for example with its air defense assets," says Campbell-Jones. "Under the new HTS regime in Syria, the previous Syrian-Israeli accord could well lapse - albeit it might also be maintained. The Israelis, taking no chances and seeking to mitigate the risk that its border with Syria might become ‘hot’ and confrontational, are therefore seeking to neutralize Syrian assets which in future - if the accord is not maintained - might potentially be used against Israel."
