Israeli airstrikes targeted military sites in Syria’s coastal Tartus region, marking the most significant strikes in the area in over a decade. According to reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) and other sources, the attacks struck air defense units and missile depots, causing massive explosions and widespread secondary detonations.
Footage shared on social media showed a large fireball and thick smoke rising from the strike sites. The explosion was so powerful that it reportedly registered as a 3.0-magnitude seismic event on nearby sensors. Observers reported ongoing blasts as munitions stored at the facilities continued to detonate.
A Massive Explosion seen in Northwestern Syria near the City of Tartus, following an Israeli Strike against a Munitions Depot; with the Explosion reported to have been so large, that it measured as a 3.0 Magnitude Earthquake on nearby Seismic Sensors. pic.twitter.com/i1jC1vNjVJ
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 15, 2024
IDF is hitting some of the last Assad weapon warehouses near Tartus, Syria https://t.co/U4aYv7MPyc pic.twitter.com/mQESHJOU6N
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) December 15, 2024
The Tartus region, home to Syria’s main naval base and a critical hub for the Assad regime and its allies, has been a frequent target of Israeli operations. Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes in Syria over the years, primarily aiming to prevent Iran and Hezbollah from gaining a foothold and transferring advanced weapons to the Lebanese militia.
While SOHR provided much of the reporting, the group’s reliability has been questioned in the past due to its limited ability to verify details independently. However, video evidence and reports from multiple sources confirm the significant impact of the strikes.
The scale of Monday’s attack appears to reflect intensified efforts to destroy remaining Assad-era military stockpiles following the regime’s recent collapse. Syrian state media has not issued an official response, and the full extent of the damage or casualties remains unclear. Israel has not officially commented on the attack.
