Exclusive: Syrian source tells TPS Latakia Port attack ‘especially painful’ to Syria
A source in Syria has informed TPS that Monday night’s bombing of several targets in the Syrian commercial port of Latakia by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has caused great concern in that country.
The source, a person affiliated with the Syrian rebels, also confirmed that arms depots belonging to Hezbollah were destroyed in the attack.
The aftermath of an alleged Israeli missile strike on the container yard of Syria’s Latakia port, Dec. 28, 2021. Credit: Syrian Arab News Agency.
The news comes after earlier on Tuesday TPS reported that Syria’s official SANA news agency quoted a military source who said that the attack was carried out from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea and that the bombing led to the igniting of a number of commercial containers in the port and to significant material damage.
Muhannad Jaafar, commander of the Latakia Fire Brigade, claimed in the report that the materials targeted in the containers contained oils and spare parts for vehicles.
But it has become apparent that the attack caused more damage than the Syrian government has let on. The same source, who previously served as an officer in the Lebanese military, told TPS, “The attack last night on the Latakia Port was especially painful [for Syria] and is considered one of the worst attacks ever carried out on Iranian weapons there.”
The source added that the feeling in Syria right now is that Israel is escalating its fight with Iran on Syrian soil.
Israel has long accused Iran of using both Syria and the Hezbollah terrorist organization based in Lebanon as proxies for attacks against Israel. Syria’s current regime has been dependent on military aid from Iran for some time now as it continues to fight against a rebellion that has engulfed the country in a civil war since 2011.
