Report: Israel Destroys Syria’s Military and Air Bases Which Turkey Planned to Occupy
Syria’s largest airbase “virtually destroyed” in Israeli strikes, country’s new Islamist-led regime says.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reportedly destroyed several military and air bases abandoned by the ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s forces, which Turkey had been eyeing to occupy with the help of the country’s new Islamist regime.
Israeli fighter jets hit at least three Syrian air bases in devastating strikes. “Turkey scoped out at least three air bases in Syria where it could deploy forces as part of a planned joint defence pact before Israel hit the sites with air strikes this week,” Reuters reported Friday citing sources.
As a strong message to Erdogan, Israel conducted the most intensive airstrike in Syria since the fall of Assad, targeting bases in Damascus, Hama, and Homs. The T4 airbase where Turkish forces were expected to arrive next week is also destroyed. pic.twitter.com/yn8W15c7i8
— Major Anthony Jones (@majorbrainpain) April 3, 2025
Recep Erdoğan’s regime has been hoping to set up forward military and airbases in Syria after pro-Turkey jihadists took power after toppling dictator Bashar al-Assad in December. The presence of Hamas-friendly Turkish forces poses a security threat to Israel which shares its northern border with Syria.
“Ankara, a longtime backer of opposition to Assad, is positioning to play a major role in the remade Syria, including with a possible joint defence pact that could see new Turkish bases in central Syria and use of Syria’s airspace,” the news agency added.
Syria’s largest Tiyas air base, also known as T4, was completely destroyed in the latest strikes, the country’s new regime disclosed. “On Wednesday night, Israel bombed several military targets in Syria, including two airports – Hama military airport and the T4 base near Homs,” the BBC reported Friday. “Syria’s foreign ministry said the bombardment virtually destroyed the Hama base.”
📹 Anadolu captured footage of the T4 Airbase in central Syria, a strategic military facility west of Palmyra in Homs province that Israeli airstrikes have repeatedly targeted
📍 The base, once used by Assad's ousted regime, is now a focal point of Israeli efforts to destroy it pic.twitter.com/z6wg6mTGXD
— wirdmedia 🌐 (@wirdmedia) April 5, 2025
The Israel airstrikes inside Syria were “intended to prevent a planned Turkish takeover of the targeted area,” Israeli news website Arutz Sheva reported Saturday:
The targeted locations included the T4 and Palmyra air bases in Homs province, as well as the main airport in Hama province—sites Turkey had considered using under a proposed joint defense framework aimed at increasing its presence in central Syria, said the report. (…)
Turkish teams had previously assessed the condition of runways, hangars, and operational infrastructure at the targeted sites, according to the same official, two Syrian military sources, and another Syrian source familiar with the visits. All sources spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information.
Turkey’s Defense Ministry responded to inquiries by stating, “Reports and posts regarding developments in Syria—whether real or alleged—that do not originate from official authorities should not be taken into consideration, as they lack credibility and may be misleading.”
Syria’s defense ministry did not issue a statement.
Security sources in Israel said on Thursday that the IDF strikes in Syria were intended to prevent a planned Turkish takeover of the targeted area.
The IDF special forces also raided military bases abandoned by the deposed Iran-backed Assad regime. “This week, the IDF’s Paratroopers Brigade raided an army post belonging to the former Syrian regime, where the soldiers located tanks, APCs, and artillery systems, the military says,” The Times of Israel reported Sunday.
The covert operation was carried out to prevent these weapons stockpiles from ending up in the hands of Syria-based jihadists and other terrorist groups. Besides Iran, Assad’s Syria had some of the most advanced Russian-made military and air defense systems in the Middle East.
“Troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers deep into Syria, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of “hostile forces”,” the Israeli news website disclosed, quoting military sources.
#Breaking: The #IDF released this incredible video showing their special forces and artillery unit targeting a former #Syrian Army base in southern #Syria, capturing or destroying several main battle tanks there and preventing their use by the new Syrian regime against #Israel. pic.twitter.com/OVGkrJosFP
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) April 5, 2025
There are media reports of Syrian Islamist militia clashing with Israeli special forces, but apparently with little success:
🔴 Syria:
Mass funeral for at least 11 Jolani soldiers.
Last night they tried to ambush the IDF while they operated in Daraa, and failed completely.
pic.twitter.com/EfNvONQ6nQ— 𝗡𝗶𝗼𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) April 3, 2025
The revelations come as the IDF carries out massive airstrikes on terrorist targets on multiple fronts. “Israel’s air force attacked approximately 200 targets in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon in the last two days, the military said on Friday,” the Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported. “In Gaza, the Air Force attacked 160 terrorist targets, including: thwarting terrorists, terrorist infrastructure, tunnels and headquarters, while providing close assistance to forces that began ground operations in Rafah and Shajaiyah.”
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Turkey is a big problem and it’s part of NATO. They should have been kicked out years ago. We need to withdraw our nukes from that airbase in Turkey before they are compromised if they haven’t already and then we should leave NATO as I said before. We should also withdraw our troops from South Korea. SK is a big boy now and they can provide for their own defense.
I don’t mind having troops in South Korea. It provides us another friendly country to operate out of besides Japan that’s close to China. South Korea is another tech and manufacturing powerhouse so having troops there helps the US maintain friendly relations as well as put some leverage on China. No one takes the North Koreans seriously and we’re not there to keep the Norks out.
Actually the purpose of those trips is to serve as trip wire against the North invading the South. Any such invasion would immediately lead to US participation. That is why they are there and there are or used to by 35K of them.
SK has universal subscription and while these have a population issue of their own they can provide for their own defense without us becoming involved. Frankly I see the same issue with the Japanese bases.
It all comes down what our role in the world is and what is required of us. Under what circumstances would we engage in a war with China or Russia. Would we go to war over Taiwan? Over Poland? Forget the treaties for the moment. What is it in our interest to defend and how best for us to defend it?
Agree with withdrawing our nuclear warheads from Turkey but not with abandoning NATO or South Korea. We need our own eyes in those locations.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
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I;ve become somewhat of an isolationist over the years. I don’t see a lot of our direct involvement as being in our interest or having a positive outcome. We have over 1K bases all over the world. What benefits are actually deriving from them.
I used to be of the mindset better to fight over there than over here. However with the open borders it doesn’t matter anymore. Even if Trump is successful in closing them I’m not sure how long that will last and we have huge borders and many ways to breach them. As such I;m much more concerned with issues at home that the random shole in Africa, Asia, or South America. Any successes there are easily reversed and so only temporary,
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