Syria has warned about the “dangerous repercussions” of Israeli assaults on its territories, stressing that a recent attack on an air base in the Arab country’s province of Homs would not have been possible without massive US support. The warning was made by the Syrian Foreign Ministry in a letter to the United Nations secretary general and the UNSC president on Monday, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported. Two Israeli F-15 warplanes carried out strikes from Lebanese air space on T-4 air base in Homs on Sunday that killed and wounded several people. Syrian air defense systems shot down five out of eight missiles fired. In the framework of its policies based on practicing state terror and providing constant support for armed terrorist groups as well as violating UNSC resolutions, the authorities of the Israeli regime renewed acts of aggression against Syrian territories, with Israeli F15 jets launching missiles from the Lebanese airspace on T-4 airport in Homs province, Syria’s Foreign Ministry said in the letter. The ministry noted that Israel’s repeated acts of aggression against Syria had failed to protect the regime’s partners and agents represented by terrorist groups and prevent the Syrian army from achieving gains against terrorism. “The Syrian Arab Republic will spare no effort to defend its territories, people and sovereignty by all possible means guaranteed by the UN Charter and the provisions of international human law and … international law,” it added. Syria’s Foreign Ministry called on the UNSC to condemn these blatant Israeli aggressions and adopt strict measures to prevent their recurrence. Earlier, SANA reported that the US was suspected of launching a missile attack on T-4 military airport in Homs after US President Donald Trump promised a “big price” to be paid for what he said was a chemical weapons attack in the Arab country. ‘Suspected US airstrike targets Syrian military airport’ A suspected US missile attack targets the T-4 military airport in Syria’s Homs province, says Syrian state media. The Syrian state media later reported that the deadly attack was carried out by Israeli warplanes. The alleged chemical attack on the militant-held town of Douma in the Eastern Ghouta region over the weekend left dozens dead and drew international condemnation from various countries and international bodies. The Syrian government, in a statement released late on Saturday, strongly rejected the allegation of using chemical munitions and said that the so-called Jaish al-Islam Takfiri terrorist group, which has dominant presence in Douma, was repeating the accusations “in order to accuse the Syrian Arab army, in a blatant attempt to hinder the Army’s advance.” Moscow also rejected the accusations against the Syrian government as bogus reports and warned of consequences of an attack on Damascus.
The Arabic-language newspaper al-Watan reported, citing field sources, that the Syrian government forces have exchanged fire with ISIL in al-Mo’ayzileh region in Eastern Badiyeh (desert) as well as in the Eastern part of al-Alyaniyeh area in Homs, and inflicted a major blow on terrorists.
The sources reportedly told al-Watan that army units have successfully moved further in the Eastern Homs Badiyeh towards al-Tanf region – where the US-led coalition has set up a training base.
At the same time, according to the sources, the army has sent more forces and equipment from the ancient city of Palmyra to Southern Badiyeh of Homs to tighten security around the town of al-Quaryatayn, Huwarin village and the strategic region of Maheen South-West of the province.
The army has reportedly taken precautions in order to prevent further infiltration of militants, and expanded the buffer zone around al-Quaryatayn to 80 kilometers in the Eastern and Southern directions. Such measures, according to al-Watan, will hinder the terrorists from drifting between Eastern and Western Qalamoun region to ther al-Tanf military base.
Since 2016, the US has been training different groups of militants at its military base in al-Tanf, a move that has drawn much criticism from Damascus and Moscow, with the latter voicing concerns that Washington was “spewing ISIL mobile groups who make inroads to launch subversive terrorist operations against Syrian troops and civilians.”
“The situation when the United States is virtually occupying a 55-kilometer (34-mile) zone around al-Tanf on the Syrian-Jordanian border without the consent of the Syrian Government, is bewildering. This zone includes the infamous Rukban refugee camp, where militants are freely moving near the US Armed Forces,” the assistant to the secretary of the Russian Security Council told Sputnik.
