For the second time since April, Israeli warplanes have targeted military sites in southern Syria before directing strikes at locations in Iran.
This behavior exhibited by Israel raises questions about the reasons driving it to attack sites in southern Syria, most of which are related to radars and air defense bases, before it begins to target Iranian territories.
On October 26, Israel bombed military bases in southern and central Syria, destroying radars and air defense systems, according to Israeli media outlets.
The Israeli site “Walla” reported that the attack on military sites in Syria was a preemptive strike before the Israeli attacks on Iran.
The Jerusalem Post noted that the Israeli air force destroyed air defense batteries and radars in Syria, Iraq, and Iran, “to secure a clear path for the attacking Israeli aircraft,” pointing out that some of these batteries were of Russian model “S-300”.
The Israeli newspaper added that Iran “has become exposed following the Israeli attack on the radars.”
In turn, the Syrian regime’s Defense Ministry stated that barrages of missiles were launched from the occupied Golan Heights and Lebanese territories early on October 26, targeting military sites in the southern and central regions.
On April 19, Israeli forces also bombed air defense sites belonging to the regime in southern Syria, coinciding with a strike on military sites in the Iranian region of Isfahan.
Israel does not typically acknowledge bombing sites in Syria, a policy it has followed for years.
Israel has escalated its attacks in Syria following the Gaza War on October 7, 2023, targeting Iranian military points and figures from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah.
The Syrian regime possesses numerous air defense systems and battalions in southern and central Syria, most of which have been subjected to Israeli air force bombardment multiple times, destroying radar networks and missile launch stations, according to reporters from Enab Baladi in Daraa and As-Suwayda.
These battalions and military points belonging to air defense units were also affected, with some falling into the hands of opposition factions in southern Syria, before the Syrian regime regained control of the area after settlement agreements in 2018.
What is the reason for the synchronization of the strikes?
Military analyst Colonel Ismail Ayoub told Enab Baladi that the Israeli bombing in southern Syria focused on destroying the radar network so as not to hinder the operations of the Israeli air force and its radars during military operations.
Meanwhile, pilot major Youssef Hamoud perceives that the repeated Israeli targeting does not necessarily mean a complete neutralization of the air defense system.
Hamoud stated in an interview with Enab Baladi that the bombings sometimes target only radar networks, which have the sole task of detecting aircraft.
He noted that some Israeli strikes on air defense points do not target the missile batteries and other system devices, which allows for the rehabilitation of these systems by introducing new radar networks.
How do the regime’s defenses work?
Regarding how the air defense system operates, Major Hamoud explained that air defense stations detect any flying object as it enters Syrian airspace and throughout its presence through radar systems.
Israeli aircraft are tracked from the moment they take off from all Israeli airports, becoming visible on all radar network screens in Syria’s main and secondary stations, according to Hamoud.
He added that these radars are connected to batteries and devices linked to ground-to-air missiles, and destroying the radar network renders these missiles blind.
When aircraft enter radar detection range, visual signals alert the aircraft and the pilot’s helmet that they have been detected.
The pilot also receives warning signals in case the missile head receives a launch signal towards him, indicating he has entered a danger zone.
Hamoud believes that Israel targets these networks to avoid interference in its military operations and confusion for its aircraft during attacks over Syrian airspace, thus requiring Israel to deal with these ground stations close to its borders and target them, as he explained to Enab Baladi.
The regime does not care
Military analyst Colonel Ismail Ayoub believes that the regime does not care about Israeli bombardments, as there is nothing in the south that threatens Israel; the strikes from Tel Aviv are concentrated in the heart of the Syrian capital.
Ayoub stated that when the regime attempts to respond to these strikes, its air defense systems usually activate only after the Israeli aircraft have exited Syrian airspace.
Typically, the response is by anti-aircraft “57” guns or “14.5” machine guns, which do not affect air targets, whether they are aircraft or projectiles (air-to-ground) like missiles or bombs.
Even the fighter planes possessed by the Syrian regime are “few and ineffective” in confronting Israeli aerial assaults, according to Ayoub.
The regime has a squadron of “MiG-29” fighter aircraft (about 20 to 25 aircraft) at the Sin Military Airport east of Damascus, but they are not utilized.
Moreover, the Dumeir and Nasiriyah airports east of Damascus house nearly ten “MiG-23” aircraft, according to the military analyst.
In As-Suwayda, the Khalakhla Military Airport northeast of the province has a squadron of “MiG-23” aircraft, one of which is out of service, as well as a “MiG-21” aircraft also out of service, while the Thala Airport in western As-Suwayda does not have any fighter aircraft.
“An ineffective system”
Military analyst Ayoub stated that the air defense systems possessed by the Syrian regime are outdated, with some destroyed between 2011 and 2020, while others have been relocated to the Syrian coast.
The regime possesses short-range “Volga” and medium-range “Pečora” systems in southern Syria, with most of those rendered inoperable and out of service after 2012, according to Ayoub’s information.
Additionally, there are brigades equipped with “SAM-6” Russian missiles (ground-to-air) along with the “Buk” and “Pantsir” systems spread across Damascus, Latakia, and Tartus, which have also been bombed by Israel.
The regime has squadrons and launch platforms for “S-200” and “S-300” long-range missiles, but they are under Russian supervision, and the regime is unable to use them, according to military analyst Ayoub.
The “S-200” missile platforms located in Dier Ali near Damascus and the Abu Qubais area in Hama have also been subjected to Israeli strikes, with the regime reportedly lacking ammunition to launch these missiles, according to Colonel Ismail Ayoub.
Does Russia play a role?
Captain pilot Youssef Hamoud clarified that Russia has been overseeing all air defense systems in Syria since its intervention at the end of September 2015.
Russia signed an agreement with Israel in 2015 for military coordination and to prevent collisions of aircraft over Syrian airspace, known as the “hotline agreement.”
According to Captain Hamoud, all countries involved in the Syrian issue are concerned with this coordination, which is why information occasionally comes in about bombing before it is carried out.
Iran also possesses four air defense stations in Syria, but there has been no information regarding the operation of these systems, according to Captain Hamoud.