Syria Support Movement solidarity with the Syrian people
from The News Desk at The Cradle, March 2, 2023
Israeli carriers dropped leaflets in the Quneitra and Deraa governorates of southern Syria, warning the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) that Tel Aviv would attack specific positions in Syria allegedly used to shelter members of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah.
According to official reports, the leaflet says:
“We will not accept the continued presence of Hezbollah at the Tel Al-Hara military base, and the continuation of cooperation in any way…Hezbollah continues to extend its arms in the region, and its presence brings disaster and destruction…You will be the first to be harmed.”
The Tel Al-Hara military base is located on the highest elevation point of the Deraa governorate, used as a strategic position to overlook the expansive areas of the Golan Heights. The military base was captured by opposition groups, such as the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a few years after the start of the western-backed war in Syria in 2011.
The SAA recovered the base in 2018. Ever since, Israel has used the Golan Heights, which it currently occupies, as a strategic position to attack pro-government militias and Hezbollah military forces.
Last week, the Israeli military launched unprovoked artillery attacks on southern Lebanon from the occupied Golan Heights, which was reportedly part of a military exercise.
Two weeks after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Syria and Turkiye last month, Tel Aviv launched air strikes at Damascus, killing five civilians and injuring five others. Israel received regional condemnations for its attacks, including from Syria’s foreign ministry, which urged for “international action” to prevent further attacks on Syrian soil.
Earlier that month, an unnamed Israeli military official told Saudi Arabia’s Elaph newspaper that Tel Aviv will not hesitate to bomb Iranian aid deliveries to Syria under claims that Tehran seeks to “take advantage of the tragic situation … to send weapons and equipment to Hezbollah.”
As a result of western sanctions, aid deliveries for Syria have been primarily hindered compared to the flow of aid entering neighboring Turkiye, forcing Damascus to rely on allied nations like Russia and Iran for assistance.
