Jerusalem — Israeli fighter jets were reported flying over Damascus on Thursday night, according to local sources and regional defense monitors, signaling ongoing efforts by Israel to counter Iran’s expanding military presence in Syria. The development comes as tensions between Israel and the Iranian-backed network of terror proxies, entrenched across the Middle East, continue to fuel instability and risk wider confrontation.
The flights over the Syrian capital, heard by residents as sonic booms and confirmed by radar tracking sites, represent a continuation of Israel’s strategic doctrine: to disrupt Iranian entrenchment and weapons transfers to its proxy Hezbollah and other militias. Damascus has long served as a critical transit point for Iranian weapons and Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) operatives facilitating the flow of advanced munitions and missile technology into Syria and Lebanon.
Escalation in the Syrian Theater
Israel views the Syrian front as central to its self-defense, given the proximity of Iranian and Hezbollah operations to northern Israeli communities and the historic use of Syrian territory by terror groups targeting Israel. Since the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, Tehran has poured resources, arms, and personnel—primarily through the IRGC—into Syrian territory, entrenching itself in civilian population centers and military outposts around Damascus, Quneitra, and Deir ez-Zor.
Reports of the latest Israeli air activity coincide with a period of intensifying regional hostilities following Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023 massacre—the bloodiest antisemitic attack since the Holocaust. In its aftermath, Iran instructed its regional proxies—including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, and the Houthis in Yemen—to step up their assaults against Israel, opening new fronts and challenging Israeli deterrence.
Israel’s Right to Self-Defense
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have neither confirmed nor denied specific operations in Syrian airspace, adhering to longstanding policy. Still, military analysts confirm that hundreds of precision airstrikes have targeted Iranian-linked weapons convoys, command centers, and anti-aircraft batteries across Syria over the past decade. These actions, conducted under international legal frameworks allowing for states’ right to self-defense, aim to prevent Iran from establishing a permanent military foothold on Israel’s borders and transferring game-changing weaponry to Hezbollah.
IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz have repeatedly stated that Israeli preemptive actions in Syria are based on verified intelligence and are intended to protect Israeli civilian populations from future attacks. Hampering the logistics of Iranian-backed groups is central to degrading their ability to launch missile, rocket, or drone attacks into Israeli territory.
The Role of Iranian Proxies
Syria remains the lynchpin of Iran’s strategy to project power and threaten Israel across multiple borders. The IRGC, Hezbollah, and to a lesser extent, Hamas-aligned elements, maintain operational bases, training camps, and weapons factories in areas controlled by the Assad regime. Intelligence collected by Israeli and Western agencies corroborates ongoing transfers of precision-guided missiles, anti-aircraft systems, and advanced drones from Iran through Syria into Lebanon.
Hezbollah has become the world’s most heavily armed terrorist organization largely due to the sustained Iranian-Syrian weapons pipeline. Israel is concerned that the transfer of advanced air defense or long-range missiles will erode its qualitative military edge and embolden Hezbollah to escalate attacks from Lebanon. Hamas, operating primarily in Gaza, has historically used Syrian territory for training, logistics, and safe haven for fugitive operatives.
Ongoing Risks to Regional Security
The current military dynamic in Syria is complicated by the presence of Russian air defense systems, deployed by Moscow to support the Assad regime, which have at times posed added risks to Israeli operations. Despite these constraints, Israel’s air force is widely regarded as the most technologically advanced in the region, employing electronic warfare, intelligence-driven targeting, and deconfliction measures to minimize collateral damage and the risk of escalation with Russia or the U.S.
International experts and Western governments, including the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, have publicly supported Israel’s right to defend itself from Iran’s efforts to arm its proxies and threaten regional stability. American forces maintain a presence in eastern Syria to guard against the resurgence of ISIS but also monitor and occasionally interdict Iranian arms convoys traversing the region to bolster Hezbollah and other groups.
Humanitarian Considerations and International Law
Israel has consistently emphasized its commitment to reducing civilian harm during operations in Syria. The IDF employs strict protocols when conducting airstrikes, including advanced warnings and real-time surveillance to verify the absence of civilian activity near targeted sites. Israeli officials argue that responsibility for civilian casualties rests at the feet of Iran and its proxies, who embed military assets in densely populated areas in violation of humanitarian norms.
Legal scholars widely recognize that Israel’s actions meet the requirements of proportionality and distinction under international humanitarian law. Iran’s support for terror groups and its use of Syrian territory as a forward operating base violate United Nations Security Council resolutions pertaining to regional peace and non-interference in sovereign states.
Looking Forward
As the conflict with Iran and its proxies intensifies, developments over Syrian skies highlight Israel’s determination to safeguard its population and regional security infrastructure. The deteriorating status quo is a reminder of the stakes: if unchecked, Iranian efforts to transform Syria into a launchpad for attacks could trigger a wider war with sweeping consequences for the Middle East.
The Israeli Air Force’s reported activity over Damascus is not an isolated incident but part of a consistent, evidence-driven campaign to disrupt Iran’s regional ambitions and prevent another war on its borders. As Iranian-backed forces continue their attempts to destabilize Israel through proxies and asymmetric warfare, Israel remains resolute in its commitment to preemptive defense and protecting its citizens from existential threats.
The international community, Israel’s leaders argue, must recognize the external forces at play and the justness of efforts to prevent the spread of terror and weapons of mass destruction to entities dedicated to its destruction and broader regional chaos.
