THE Israeli military has said it has struck more than 350 military sites across Syria in the past 48 hours.
In an update on Telegram on Tuesday night, the Israel Defence Forces shared footage of its forces bombing what it said were the al Bayda and Latakia naval ports, where 15 Syrian vessels were docked.
It comes after we told on Tuesday how Israel had attacked more than 250 targets in what was described as “one of the largest attack operations in the history” of the country’s Air Force.
Israel said anti-aircraft batteries, airfields and weapons production sites in Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia and Palmyra were also struck.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said that attacks on Syria are to ensure weapons used by the Assad regime do not fall into the hands of jihadists.
"The people of Syria suffered for far too long under his brutal regime". PM Sir Keir Starmer opens #PMQs by recognising the fall of Bashar al-Assad - 'what comes next is far from certain', he tells MPs.#PMQs https://t.co/xItZsH7tea 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 pic.twitter.com/LYlhpKc3E4
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He said: “We have no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of Syria.”
However, Netanyahu also added that “we certainly do intend to do what is necessary to ensure our security”.
Israel has started attacking Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad and, despite UN protests, it has launched a military incursion into the buffer zone that has separated the two countries since 1974.
It comes as the Prime Minister has said the UK will play a more active role in the Middle East following the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria.
Keir Starmer welcomed the fall of Bashar al Assad’s forces at PMQs on Wednesday but said the future of the country remains uncertain.
The UK has already paused decisions on Syrian asylum claims after al-Assad was overthrown.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (above) said the situation was “moving extremely fast after the fall of the Assad regime” and that some people were returning to the country.
Between 2011 and 2021, more than 30,000 Syrians were granted asylum in the UK.
The Prime Minister has also said no decision has been made on whether to remove a leading Syrian rebel group from the UK Government’s proscribed terrorist list after its victory over Assad’s forces.
Alongside the US, the UK is considering whether to remove HTS, the rebel group which led the offensive against Assad, from the list.
While Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said the UK Government would “consider” removing the group, Starmer said “no decision is pending at all on this”.
