An alleged Israeli airstrike targeted a weapons warehouse in Homs, Syria late Thursday evening, setting off a massive explosion.
Homs is located in western Syria, a few minutes’ drive from the border with northeastern Lebanon.
The explosions were seen in the eastern countryside of Homs, according to FDD senior research analyst and Middle East military journalist Joe Truzman.
Reported Israeli airstrike targeting the eastern countryside of Homs. #Syria pic.twitter.com/PIADBY4AAK
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) August 8, 2024
There were reports of secondary explosions as well, according to local sources.
“Documentation attributed [the explosions] to the Israeli attack on weapons warehouses at the Shayrat airfield in eastern Homs, Middle East blogger Abu Ali Express reported.
Earlier in the day, three cargo flights — one from Russia and two from Iran — landed in Syria, possibly at the same airport.
Iran uses military airports in central and western Syria as transfer points through which to provide its Lebanese proxy, the Hezbollah terrorist army, with advanced weapons.
This is not the first time Israel has attacked Hezbollah and Iranian targets near Homs.
The most recent such attack took place this past May, with multiple explosions heard in Qusayr, in Homs province after a truck carrying weapons was targeted. Qusayr is a Hezbollah stronghold.
Iran typically transfers its advanced weapons to Hezbollah using trucks to carry the ordnance to Syria’s border with Lebanon.
Both Hezbollah and Iran have announced plans to launch a massive, coordinated attack against Israel in retaliation for last week’s assassinations of Hezbollah’s chief of staff in Beirut and the Hamas terror politburo chief during a visit to Tehran.
Israel’s Final Warning to Lebanon?
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned in an Arabic-language statement earlier in the evening that Israel “will not allow the Hezbollah militia to destabilize the border and region. If Hezbollah continues its aggression, Israel will fight it, with all its might.”
