Rare Israeli Attack On Syria’s Palmyra Launched From US-Controlled Airspace

Huge Israeli airstrikes rocked the outskirts of the central Syrian city of Palmyra on Wednesday, with regional reports saying the attacks were launched by Israeli jets utilizing US-controlled airspace over Al-Tanf military base in eastern Syria. 

“Israeli warplanes launched a number of missiles from the airspace of the [US] base in the Al-Tanf area on the Syrian–Iraqi–Jordanian border, in the far southeastern countryside of Homs, targeting the vicinity of the city of Palmyra,” Sputnik’s correspondent reported.

Israeli attacks on Palmyra are rare, if not unheard of, given how deep into central Syria and the eastern desert the town lies. Al-Tanf base is located a little over 200km from Palmyra. The border base has been occupied by US forces for many years now.

Syrian state SANA has cited a large casualty count, reporting at least 36 dead and over 50 wounded. SANA reports, “At approximately 1:30 p.m. today, the Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the direction of al-Tanf area, targeting a number of buildings in Palmyra City in the Syrian Desert, led to the martyrdom of 36 people, the injury of more than 50 others, and significant material damage to the buildings and the surrounding area.”

Palmyra before the war attracted tourists from across the globe as it is known for its ancient Roman ruins, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The iconic ruins and temples were partially damaged when the remote outpost was overrun by the Islamic State terror group in 2015, and many Syrian Army personnel were killed trying to defend it.

Syrian government forces with the help of Russian aerial support were able to get Palmyra back from ISIS by March 2016.

Russia and Syria have long accused American forces based out of Al-Tanf of training terrorists and facilitating their movements, in order to keep up pressure on Damascus.

As for Israel, recent months have seen a clear uptick in air raids on Syria, but these strikes on Palmyra appear to be the single deadliest this year.

Israel typically describes its operations as targeting ‘Iranian assets’; however, the Syrian government is saying that many among its territorial defense units as well as civilians were killed.