The latest satellite images reveal the devastating consequences of the Israeli attack on the town of Masyaf, which is home of Syrian S-300 missile system.
The Israeli air strike on April 9, 2022, on the outskirts of Masyaf town, in Hama province in western Syria, had severe consequences.
According to the latest satellite images shared by a Twitter user name Aurora Intel, the massive airstrike destroyed two important structures at the defense plant in the Zawi area north of Masyaf. The Defense Factory provides ammunition to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
Satellite imagery courtesy of @sentinel_hub shows at least 4 different targets in this reported airstrike. Two of which have been three areas of which have been targeted before. The Zawi Defense Factory, North of Masyaf, Syria, two impacts noted. pic.twitter.com/i6F4YN7eiw
— Aurora Intel (@AuroraIntel) April 10, 2022
The airstrikes also targeted two structures in a key facility of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) located to the northeast of Masyaf. The SSRC is Syria’s main military research and development institution. This facility was struck by Israel on several occasions in the past.
The last two targets in the raid were to target what is believed to be a Syrian air defense front near the village of Suwaydah in southeastern Masyaf and a military complex in the north of the town.
A Syrian military source told the state news agency SANA that the raids did not cause casualties, despite causing some material losses.
Most notably, in Masyaf, Syrian air defenses have deployed a battlefield of S-300 missiles, however, since receiving from 2018 to the present, this advanced long-range air defense system is said to have never fired, despite Israel’s repeated attacks on targets near the place of combat readiness deployment.
The Syrian military last year said it believed the S-300 air defense systems would largely stop Israel from successfully conducting strikes against targets in the country.
This raises suspicions that the Syrian S-300 missile combat team has not really mastered how to operate this modern long-range air defense system, or that the Israeli target may not be valuable enough for the S-300 to fire back.
Syria’s acquisition and eventual operation of the S-300 system marked a substantial improvement in its air defense capabilities. However, recent airstrike by Israel proved that Israel is capable of maneuvering around the system or destroying it.
Syrian foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad, condemned the Israeli attack in a message sent to the UN secretary-general António Guterres on April 10.
“The failure to condemn these repeated attacks has encouraged the Israeli occupation entity to persist, continue and expand the cycle of aggression on Syrian territory. It also puts the credibility of the UN and the effectiveness of its competent bodies and agencies to the test,” the message reads.
This was the first Israeli attack on Syria in April. The previous attack, which took place on March 7, targeted the outskirts of the capital, Damascus. The attack claimed the lives of two soldiers of the SAA and two officers of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Syria, which has been devastated by almost 11 years of war, will not likely respond to the attack to in order to avoid any further escalation by Israel.