Israeli aircraft targeted sites in western Homs, near the Syrian-Lebanese border, resulting in injuries and material damages. Israel announced that it targeted transport routes used by Hezbollah to transfer military equipment to Lebanon.
The Syrian state news agency (SANA) reported on Wednesday, November 13, that significant material damage occurred to several bridges and roads along the border with Lebanon in western Homs due to an Israeli airstrike.
The agency cited a military source saying that Israel launched “an aerial aggression” from Lebanese territory targeting bridges on the Orontes River and roads along the Syrian-Lebanese border in the al-Qusayr region of western Homs.
The source added that the attack caused extensive damage to the bridges and roads, rendering them inoperable.
Local radio station Sham FM reported that Israeli aircraft attacked the road linking Jubbaniah to Laftaya to Sunnun, and the road linking Jubbaniah to Wajh al-Hajar to Sunnun, which connect al-Qusayr to the main highway from Homs to Tartus.
In a separate post, it was reported that the Israeli strikes resulted in 11 injuries, including light and moderate wounds.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syrian rights organization based in London, reported that 15 individuals from the Fourth Division and other forces of the regime, along with individuals of unknown nationalities, were injured, marking an initial tally of the Israeli attack on the al-Qusayr area in Homs.
It was added that Israeli aircraft targeted the Tal Mando bridge, the al-Arjoun bridge, and the Beit Khadr bridge on the border between Syria and Lebanon, increasing the number of targeted sites in al-Qusayr and its countryside to eight sites.
Israeli warplanes also targeted the al-Dabaa checkpoint of regime forces and the al-Mashtal checkpoint managed by the Fourth Division near the city of al-Qusayr, as well as a checkpoint managed by the security office of the Fourth Division on a bridge in the village of Jubbaniah, and the al-Daf and al-Adar bridges in the al-Qusayr countryside.
Israel targets Hezbollah’s transport routes
On Wednesday evening, the spokesperson for the Israeli army for Arab media, Avichay Adraee, announced via “X” that Israel was responsible for the attack in the city of al-Qusayr.
He stated that the Israeli army struck transport routes used by Hezbollah to transfer military equipment from Syria to Lebanon.
Adraee emphasized that the Israeli army has been conducting numerous strikes over recent months to reduce attempts to transfer military supplies from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon through Syria.
He mentioned that these strikes against the routes represent another blow to the capabilities of “Unit 4400” (the transport unit) of Hezbollah in moving weapons to be used in “terrorist plans” against Israel.
Adraee pointed out that Hezbollah, with support from the Syrian regime, utilizes civilian infrastructure to support its operations, reiterating that Israel will continue its efforts to prevent Hezbollah from arming itself with military capabilities.
Isolation of al-Qusayr
The city of al-Qusayr is located in the western countryside of Homs governorate in central Syria, on the border with Lebanon.
It includes more than 80 villages and is a multi-sectarian city, comprising residents from Shia, Alawite, and Christian backgrounds, but Sunni residents are the majority.
The city is linked to Lebanon from the Beqaa region via the Jousiyeh border crossing, which was closed after opposition factions took control in 2012, but the regime reopened it in December 2017.
The crossing was hit by an Israeli strike on November 2, rendering it inoperable.
Al-Qusayr has also been targeted in two attacks, the first on November 5, preceded by an attack on October 31.
Israel stated that the two strikes targeted weapon storage sites used by Hezbollah, while Syrian state media or those close to the regime reported that the strikes affected civilian targets.
According to information obtained by Enab Baladi from a local resident, al-Qusayr has been subjected to more than three significant airstrikes in the attack that occurred on October 31.
One of these strikes disrupted the road linking the city and the center of Homs governorate.
The second strike cut off the road to the Jousiyeh border crossing with Lebanon.
The third strike targeted the only fuel station that residents rely on to secure their allocations of fuel supplies, as per information gathered by Enab Baladi.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army reported that the October 5 attack targeted sites for the Radwan Force belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah in the city of al-Qusayr.
Intensification of Israeli strikes
The Israeli army has recently intensified its strikes on sites in Syria, clearly aiming to cut off the flow of arms to Lebanese Hezbollah.
On November 11, Israeli warplanes targeted sites south of Homs in central Syria, just hours after a strike was carried out in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
In an unusual move, Israel claimed responsibility for several strikes conducted in regime-controlled areas, the latest being near Sayyidah Zaynab in the capital Damascus.
It stated that it targeted interests belonging to the Hezbollah Intelligence Branch loyal to Iran, as announced by the Israeli army spokesperson, Avichai Adraee, on November 4.