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Spillover of the Israel–Hamas war in Syria

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Spillover of the Israel–Hamas war in Syria
Part of the spillover of the Israel–Hamas war, 2024 Iran–Israel conflict, 2024 Syrian opposition offensives and the Syrian civil war

Map of the extent of the Israel Defense Forces invasion of Syria
Date7 October 2023 – present
Location
Syria Israel
Result

Ongoing

Belligerents
 Israel
Allies:
 United States[1]
 United Kingdom[2]
 France[3]
 Germany[4]

Until 8 December 2024:
Syrian Arab Republic  Surrendered
Allies:
 Iran
Popular Mobilization Forces
 Russia
Hezbollah

From 8 December 2024:
Syrian Transitional Government/Syrian opposition

Commanders and leaders
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel Katz
Ori Gordin

Until 8 December 2024
Bashar al-Assad  Surrendered
Ali Khamenei
Naim Qassem
Vladimir Putin

From 8 December 2024
Syrian opposition Abu Mohammad al-Julani
/Syrian opposition Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali
Syrian opposition Mohammed al-Bashir
Casualties and losses
Unknown 416 killed (2024)[5]

The spillover of the Israel–Hamas war in Syria is the impact and military engagements in Syria which are caused by the spillover of the Israel–Hamas war, and constitute a part of the ongoing Middle Eastern crisis. The conflict, originating in the Gaza Strip, has triggered regional tensions and violence, drawing Syria in through direct and indirect confrontations involving Israeli forces, Syrian state actors, and armed groups operating in Syrian territory.

Background

[edit]

The Israel–Hamas war began when Hamas-led militant groups launched a surprise attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which involved a rocket barrage and a few thousand militants breaching the Gaza–Israel barrier, attacking Israeli civilian communities and military bases. During this attack, 1,195 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, including 815 civilians.[6] In addition, 251 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive into Gaza, with the stated goal to force Israel to release Palestinian prisoners and detainees.[7][8] Hamas stated that its attack was in response to Israel's continued occupation, the blockade of Gaza, the expansion of settlements, disregard for international law, as well as alleged threats to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the general plight of Palestinians.[9][10][11]

Following the attack, Israel launched one of the most destructive bombing campaigns in modern history and invaded Gaza on 27 October 2023 with the stated objectives of destroying Hamas and freeing hostages.[12] The war resulted in widespread devastation and loss of life, with over 40,000 Palestinians killed as of February 2024.[13] The ongoing war has had significant regional repercussions, including attacks by groups aligned with Hamas on U.S. military bases and vessels, and Israel's invasion of Lebanon on 1 October 2024 after an escalation with Hezbollah.[14]

The conflict has also spilled over into Syria, a country already devastated by its ongoing civil war and host to numerous proxy conflicts.[15]

Israeli airstrikes on Syria

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There have been numerous attacks claimed by or blamed on Israel since the start of the war in Gaza. In roughly the first year of the war, Israel struck Syria more than 220 times, killing 296 people.[16] On 10 October 2023, Israel exchanged rocket and mortar fire with forces in southern Syria.

During October 2024, 700 members of the front for the liberation of the Golan where deployed to the Qunaitrah countryside, western Rif Dimashque, and western Daraa along the border of the Golan Heights following the start of the Israel-Hamas war.[citation needed]

From 12 to 22 October 2023, Israel launched at least three attacks on airports in Syria, including Damascus International Airport and Aleppo International Airport, ahead of a visit to Syria by Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.[17][18] Two workers from the Syrian meteorology service based at Damascus International Airport were killed.[19]

On 24 October, Israeli airstrikes in Daraa Governorate reportedly resulted in the death of eight Syrian soldiers and injuries to seven others, as per Syria's state-run news agency SANA. The IDF acknowledged the airstrikes, stating they were a response to two rockets fired from Syria into Northern Israel.[20]

Since 2024, Israel has continued to launch airstrikes at targets in Syria, including in Damascus[21] and Aleppo.[22] On 20 January 2024, Brigadier General Sadegh Omidzadeh, an intelligence officer with the IRGC Quds Force in Syria, along with four other IRGC officers, were reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus.[23][24] According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an Israeli missile strike targeted a four-story building in the Mezzeh district. The attack resulted in the death of thirteen individuals,[25] including five Iranians, and the complete destruction of the building where leaders aligned with Iran were having a meeting.[26]

Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy in Syria

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Main article: Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus

On 1 April 2024, senior Quds Force commander of the IRGC, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, was killed by an suspected Israeli airstrike that targeted the consulate annex building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus.[27][28][29] Between five and seven people were killed in the airstrike according to Iranian ambassador, Hossein Akbari. The strike caused "massive destruction" to the consulate building as well as damage to neighboring buildings, according to Syrian state media.[29] Zahedi is the most senior IRGC officer who has been killed since the assassination of Qasem Soleimani by the U.S. in January 2020.[30]

On 13 July 2024, one soldier was killed and three other people were injured in Israeli strikes in and around Damascus.[31] On 27 September 2024, Israeli forces struck the Lebanon-Syria border, killing five Syrian soldiers.[32] On 30 September, several people including a state television presenter were killed in an Israeli strike on Damascus.[33][34] On 4 October, two Israeli soldiers were killed and 24 were wounded in a drone attack by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq on an Israeli base in the Golan Heights.[35] However, the group denied responsibility for the attack.[36] On 8 October an Israeli airstrike on Damascus killed 13 people.[16] On 14 October, two Israeli tanks crossed into Syria, positioning themselves south of Quneitra.[37] On 20 October, a guided missile attack on a car killed two people near the Golden Mazzeh hotel in Damascus.[38] On 31 October, SANA reported that Israeli strikes hit a number of residential buildings in Al-Qusayr, damaging its industrial zone and killing 10 people, including civilians.[39][40] Israeli Army Radio reported that the strikes targeted assets and headquarters of PIJ.[41][42][43] PIJ confirmed the death of two of its leaders and a group of its cadres.[44] The IDF said that it struck Hezbollah command centers and weapon depots. On 14 November, Israeli strikes on Damascus killed at least 15 people.[45]

On 20 November 2024, Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes targeted sites in the vicinity of Palmyra, in Homs Governorate. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency, the strikes hit "residential buildings and the industrial zone". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based war monitor, claimed the attacks killed four non-Syrian nationals, identified as members of Iranian-backed militias.[46]

Attacks on American bases

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Further information: Attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria during the Israel–Hamas war
Map of attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria.

Iranian attacks on Israel

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Further information: 2024 Iran–Israel conflict and Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war

Ground incursions into Syria

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For the first time during the war,[citation needed] Israeli forces carried out a ground operation in Syria, capturing Ali Soleiman al-Assi, a Syrian citizen allegedly involved in Iranian operations targeting the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. According to the Israeli military, al-Assi had been under surveillance for months. The operation, which occurred in southern Syria near Saida, was announced on 3 November 2024, although the exact timing of the raid remains unclear. Israel released body camera footage showing the apprehension of the individual, who has since been brought to Israel for interrogation.[47] This announcement marked a significant shift in Israel’s strategy in Syria.

Israeli ground operations also extended into Lebanon, with naval forces reportedly capturing a senior Hezbollah operative in a raid on a northern Lebanese town. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that these operations aim to curb Hezbollah’s armament through Iranian supply lines passing through Syria.[47]

Demilitarized buffer zone violations

[edit]
See also: Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line incidents during the Syrian civil war

The United Nations has reported that Israeli construction along the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights has led to violations of the 1974 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Syria. Satellite imagery and field observations indicate that new trenches and earth berms have been constructed along the Area of Separation , with some reportedly crossing into the zone. UNDOF, the UN force monitoring the region, confirmed multiple incursions by Israeli military vehicles into the Area of Separation.[48]

Israeli officials stated that these defenses are intended to prevent infiltration by Iran-backed militias. However, Syrian authorities have strongly protested the construction activities, which they claim exacerbate tensions along the frontier. The UN has raised concerns with Israeli authorities multiple times regarding these violations.[48]

The Israeli military has intensified activities along the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights, known as the "Alpha Line," in what it describes as defensive measures. Satellite imagery analyzed by the Associated Press in September 2024 revealed significant construction projects, including new trenches, paved roads, and barriers along more than 7.5 kilometers of the boundary. These actions have sparked criticism from the United Nations for violating the terms of the 1974 ceasefire agreement, which established the Area of Separation under UNDOF supervision.[49]

Israeli officials have defended the construction, citing the need to counter potential infiltrations by Iran-backed militias operating in southern Syria.[48]

The Israeli military has also emphasized its operational readiness along its "seven active fronts", with Israeli Deputy Chief of Staff Amir Baram personally inspecting the border defenses in November 2024. Baram toured the 210th Division, which oversees the Golan front, and highlighted the creation of a "dynamic and advanced defensive zone" to counter threats from Hezbollah and other Iran-aligned groups.[50]

Response by the Syrian government

[edit]

Despite frequent Israeli airstrikes and ground operations targeting Iranian and Hezbollah-linked assets in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad’s government has largely avoided direct involvement in the broader Israel–Hezbollah conflict. This restraint highlights Damascus's focus on stabilizing its own territories following years of civil war and combating opposition forces that challenge its authority.[citation needed]

Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan has accused Syria of daily violations of the ceasefire agreement, including the presence of armed militias within the Area of Separation. In a formal complaint to the UN Secretary-General, Erdan stated that such actions "only heighten tensions in an already volatile region."[citation needed]

Impact on 2024 rebel offensives

[edit]
Further information: 2024 Syrian opposition offensives

Hezbollah, which was a major ally of the Syrian government during the civil war, was severely weakened during its war with Israel. The deaths of Hassan Nasrallah and much of its military leadership, combined with the redeployment of Hezbollah fighters in Syria back to Lebanon, left a large power vacuum. Analysts attributed the significant pressure imposed on Syrian-ally Iran was a significant factor in the government's defeats, precipitated by Israel's attacks on it and its allies.[51]

Israeli invasion of Syria

[edit]
Main article: 2024 Israeli invasion of Syria

During the decisive battle of Damascus and subsequent fall of the Assad regime on 7–8 December 2024, Israeli forces initiated military operations in Syria's Quneitra Governorate. Armored units advanced into the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force buffer zone in between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and targeting the central countryside of the Quneitra Governorate with artillery fire.[52][53]

See also

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References

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