For the first time, Tel Aviv announces that it has targeted the headquarters of Maher al-Assad – the brother of the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, commander of the Fourth Division – in a clear sign of escalation against the Syrian army and the presence of militias in Syria.
According to Israeli media sources, the Israeli army bombed a headquarters belonging to Maher al-Assad, in response to the launch of a drone from southern Syria towards the occupied Golan a week ago.
The Israeli Channel 13 said that Maher al-Assad, commander of the Fourth Division, was not present at the time of the attack, which took place in the morning hours, pointing out that Israel wanted to deliver a message to the Syrian regime stating that it “will pay the price if it allows drones to be launched from its territory.”
And it was announced in a statement that a compound of the Syrian regime forces and military radar systems had been bombed, in addition to artillery sites used by the Syrian armed forces, according to what Reuters reported today (Monday).
Syrian media sources reported that the site targeted by the Israeli aircraft is usually used in meetings of Syrian leaders from the Fourth Division, without knowing who was targeted in this strike.
Observers believe that Tel Aviv's explicit announcement of targeting the headquarters of the Fourth Division, under the pretext of launching marches from southern Syria, is a major shift in the Israeli dealings with the spread of armed militias in Syria, as this message indicates that Damascus is held responsible for all the practices of those militias on Syrian territory.
Israeli warplanes rarely target headquarters of the Syrian army, as they usually target headquarters of armed groups, which is considered a new development in the Israeli dealings with the situation in Syria.
Okaz (Istanbul) @okaz_online
