Damascus/Beirut, 16 December 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Israeli strikes that targeted several military sites near the Syrian coast wounded some 36 civilians, a war monitor reported late Monday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described the attacks in the Tartus region as the "heaviest strikes on the coast since 2012." It said the civilians were wounded as a result of the successive explosions emanating from weapons depots that had been hit.

The strikes resulted in significant damage to citizens’ homes and the burning of their property in the village of Bmalakat al-Manawil, located on the al-Drikish-Tartus road, which was partially closed as a result of the Israeli strikes.

Late Sunday, Israeli warplanes launched 18 airstrikes on strategic sites on the Syrian coast, the monitor group said.

The Observatory said that Israel has launched 473 airstrikes at Syria since the fall of ruler Bashar al-Assad on December 8.

The strikes have mainly targeted the former regime’s army posts, including airports, radars, air defences, weapons depots and missiles, according to the Observatory, in a bid to prevent the military capabilities from falling into the hands of hostile actors.

Explosions were heard almost 10 kilometres away from a bombing site in the city of Tartus, a former Syrian army officer living in the city, who requested anonymity, told dpa, saying that the military sites are in mountainous areas.

Israel has ramped up military activity in Syria, including deploying troops into a buffer zone on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, beyond the ceasefire line. The zone is under UN supervision in accordance with a 1974 ceasefire agreement between the two countries.

Israel now plans to expand settlements in the area, drawing condemnation from Arab nations. 

Photo: MIA Archive