Israel Says It Destroyed Syrian Navy to Stop It Falling Into Terrorist Hands

Syrian naval ships destroyed in an overnight Israeli attack on the port city of Latakia, Syria on Dec. 10, 2024. Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images

Israel has said it has destroyed the Syrian navy and several missile stockpiles to “prevent them from falling into the hands of terrorist elements.”

The Israeli Navy attacked the ports of Latakia and al-Bayda, where 15 Syrian vessels were docked.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), writing on social media platform X, said, “In 48 hours, the IDF struck most of the strategic weapons stockpiles in Syria to prevent them from falling into the hands of terrorist elements.”

On Dec. 10, Mohammed al-Bashir was sworn in as the interim prime minister of Syria, leading a so-called salvation government until March 1, 2025.

Al-Bashir, who is loyal to the main rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), said on Dec. 10, “Today we held a cabinet meeting that included a team from the salvation government that was working in Idlib and its vicinity, and the government of the ousted regime.”

HTS remains a designated terrorist organization in the United States.

In a Dec. 10 statement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the new Syrian government to “uphold clear commitments to fully respect the rights of minorities, facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance to all in need, prevent Syria from being used as a base for terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbors.”

One of those neighbors is Israel, which has sought to prevent anyone in Syria from having the firepower to threaten it.

The IDF said each of the ships that was attacked was fitted with sea-to-sea missiles that posed “threats to civilian and military maritime vessels in the area.”

The Israeli Air Force also bombed 350 targets, including anti-aircraft batteries, Syrian air force airfields, and “weapons production sites” in Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia, and Palmyra.

‘Neutralized’

The IDF claimed to have “neutralized” a number of Scud missiles, cruise missiles, fighter jets, drones, and attack helicopters.

Israeli troops have also moved into a buffer zone, including the strategically important Mount Hermon, between the Golan Heights and Syria proper.

On Dec. 10, the United Nations’ special envoy in Syria, Geir Pedersen, said: “We are continuing to see Israeli movements and bombardments into Syrian territory. This needs to stop. This is extremely important.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Dec. 9 his country welcomed the fall of Bashar al-Assad but remained focused on its own security.

Avraham Levine, media director of the Alma Institute, which studies the security situation on Israel’s northern borders with Lebanon and Syria, told The Epoch Times on Dec. 10 that the IDF was seeking to destroy as much of the Syrian military’s arms and war-making capacity as possible.

HTS, the main rebel group, started as a wing of al-Qaeda. Its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, chose a nom de guerre that is linked to the Golan Heights.

The Golan Heights were part of Syria until 1967, when Israel captured the area during the Six-Day War.

Israel has occupied the plateau ever since and formally annexed the 460 square-mile plateau in 1981.

In 2000 Israel and Syria held talks over a possible peace deal, which would include returning the Golan Heights to Syria, but the negotiations collapsed.

An Israeli soldier stands guard at a security fence gate near the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from Syria, on Dec. 10, 2024. Matias Delacroix/AP

During President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, in 2019, the United States officially recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

Since the war with Hamas and Hezbollah began on Oct. 7, 2023, northern Israel has regularly been targeted by missiles and drones launched from southern Lebanon, and Netanyahu is wary of a hostile anti-Israeli terrorist group taking over in Damascus.

The attack on the Syrian navy came as satellite imagery from Planet Labs showed Russian navy ships had abandoned Moscow’s base at Tartus, with three dropping anchor off the Syrian coast and the others leaving the area entirely.

Planet Labs said the satellite imagery suggested the fleet departed Tartus between Dec. 6 and Dec. 9.

Assad has been given sanctuary in Moscow by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who may be biding his time before he asks the new Syrian regime to negotiate a deal to retain the strategically important naval base at Tartus and an air base in Latakia.

Reuters contributed to this report.