Today’s news round focuses on significant developments in Syria and the surrounding region. An Israeli airstrike on October 3, 2024, destroyed an ammunition warehouse near Jablah, close to a Russian airbase, highlighting the ongoing military escalation. Israel’s operations in Syria have intensified in recent months, aiming to weaken Hezbollah and Iranian influence. In parallel, the European Union has allocated €500,000 in emergency aid to support refugees fleeing from Lebanon into Syria, further straining Syria’s already overstretched humanitarian resources. In a separate event, a Yazidi woman, held captive by ISIS for over a decade, was recently rescued in Gaza through a complex U.S.-Israeli operation, shedding light on international efforts to protect vulnerable groups in conflict zones.
Israeli Airstrike Levels Weapons Depot In Syria Near Russian Base
On October 3, 2024, unidentified drones carried out a series of airstrikes targeting an ammunition warehouse near Jablah city in the Lattakia countryside, close to the largest Russian air base in Syria.
The strikes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), resulted in massive explosions that could be heard from a considerable distance. It remains unclear whether the drones were launched from within Syrian territory or from the sea, though the presence of warships and Israeli warplanes was reported in the area.
For over 40 minutes, regime and Russian air defenses attempted to intercept the missiles, but the warehouse was ultimately destroyed. The strikes are part of an ongoing series of attacks within Syria, which have increasingly targeted military assets.
This latest strike is part of a larger pattern of Israeli military operations in 2024. So far, Israel has conducted 94 attacks, consisting of 77 airstrikes and 17 rocket assaults, aimed at key military positions across Syria. These operations have destroyed around 185 targets, including weapons depots, military headquarters, and vehicles. The strikes have resulted in the deaths of 250 combatants and injured 177 others, underscoring the intensity of the ongoing conflict.
How Syria played a part in Israel’s ability to make gains against Hezbollah
Israel’s recent success against Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, can be attributed to Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria, where it supported President Bashar al-Assad during the civil war. As Hezbollah expanded into Syria in 2012, Israeli intelligence gained key insights into the group’s operations, leadership, and internal corruption. This expansion weakened Hezbollah’s control over its members, making them more vulnerable to Israeli infiltration.
In recent months, as reported by NDTV, Israel has carried out several significant attacks, including the detonation of Hezbollah fighters’ pagers and walkie-talkies, resulting in over 2,000 casualties. Most notably, Israeli airstrikes last month killed seven key Hezbollah leaders, including their chief, Hassan Nasrallah, marking one of the most important strikes in the group’s history.
Israel’s advanced surveillance technologies, which included tracking devices, smart phones, and even hacked home electronics, allowed it to map out Hezbollah members’ movements. This technological edge, combined with Hezbollah’s overextension in Syria, helped Israel penetrate the group’s defenses.
This success highlights Israel’s shift from a previous over-reliance on high-tech solutions—an approach that had been exploited by groups like Hamas, which used low-tech strategies to counter Israeli surveillance.
EU Provides Emergency Aid for Displaced Civilians Fleeing Lebanon into Syria
Amid escalating hostilities in Lebanon, over 100,000 civilians—mostly women and children—have crossed into Syria, seeking shelter. Many are traveling on foot, with more than 60% of those displaced being under the age of 18. The influx of refugees has placed additional strain on Syria, where 16.7 million people are already in need of humanitarian aid following over a decade of conflict.
In response, the European Union has announced immediate emergency funding of €500,000 to support the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in addressing the urgent needs of those fleeing Lebanon. The funds will support six months of humanitarian operations at the four main border crossings, providing essential items such as plastic sheeting, mattresses, and blankets.
“It is crucial that the EU can help swiftly to alleviate the suffering of those fleeing conflict and destruction,” said Michael Ohnmacht, Head of the EU Delegation to Syria. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent will be responsible for distributing the aid as part of the frontline emergency response.
Yazidi woman freed from Gaza in US-led operation after decade in captivity
Reuters reports that a 21-year-old woman kidnapped by Islamic State militants in Iraq more than a decade ago has been recently freed from Gaza this week in an operation involving the United States and Israel, officials said.
The rescue also involved Jordan and Iraq, according to officials.
The woman is a member of the ancient Yazidi religious minority mostly found in Iraq and Syria which saw more than 5,000 members killed and thousands more kidnapped in an IS campaign in 2014 that the U.N. has said constituted genocide.
She was freed after more than four months of efforts that involved several attempts that failed due to the difficult security situation resulting from Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, Silwan Sinjaree, chief of staff of Iraq’s foreign minister, told Reuters.
She has been identified as Fawzia Sido. Reuters could not reach the woman directly for comment.
Iraqi officials had been in contact with the woman for months and passed on her information to U.S. officials, who arranged for her exit from Gaza with the help of Israel, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The Israeli military said it had coordinated with the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and “other international actors” in the operation to free Sido.
It said in a statement her captor had been killed during the Gaza war, presumably by an Israeli strike, and she then fled to a hideout inside the Gaza Strip.
“In a complex operation coordinated between Israel, the United States, and other international actors, she was recently rescued in a secret mission from the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom Crossing,” it said.
