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On May 24, warplanes of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out several airstrikes on the al-Dabaa airbase in the southwestern Homs countryside, according to several pro-government sources. Reportedly, Israeli warplanes attacked the airbase from the Lebanese aerospace.
Syrian pro-government activists said that the Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces (SyAADF) targeted the Israeli warplanes over Lebanon. The SyAADF S-200 long-range air defense system fired at least two missiles at Israeli warplanes, according to the activists.
The General Command of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) confirmed in an official statement that an airbase in central Syria had been targeted by the IAF and said that the SyAADF is currently repelling the Israeli missiles and warplanes.
According to local observers, the al-Dabaa airbase is one of the main headquarters of Lebanese Hezbollah in Syria, as the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) withdrew from it in 2013. This confirms that the main target of the Israeli airstrikes was Hezbollah and not the SAA or Iranian forces.
The situation may escalate in the upcoming hours, especially if any fighters or commander of Hezbollah were killed in the airstrikes. Israel also vowed recently that it will strike the SyAADF if it launches missiles at Israeli warplanes.
