Israel has been frustrating Iran's effort to establish a comprehensive aerial defense network in Syria, which includes equipment and personnel being sent to the war-torn Arab nation, "an intelligence source from a nation allied with the United States" told Newsweek in an exclusive report.
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According to the source, Israeli airstrikes against the Iranian consolidation effort in Syria began in late 2017 when Iran's presence began to pick up. Israel's attacks have been directed at "Iranian military assets and interests in the Syrian territory that threaten Israel," the source said.
Syria has often blamed Israel for such strikes and the IDF has acknowledged certain operations in the past. The source revealed that Iran has shifted its strategy over the past two years, "promoting the deployment of aerial defense capabilities on its behalf in Syria at a cost of tens of millions of dollars in order to deal with the Israeli airstrikes." The source further added, "The promotion of these capabilities is carried out as a project shared with the Syrian army and possibly even with the aim of enabling independent Iranian operation of the aerial defense systems from within parts of Syria." In fact, the source said, "the Iranians assisted the Syrians in upgrading their radar array, designed to aid in detection and prevention of Israeli attacks – mainly against the Iranian establishment in Syria."
The source noted that Iran has even deployed the Sayyad (Hunter) 4B solid-propellant missile, which Iran says has a range of more than 186 miles with a radar range of more than 280 miles. In what could be an implied warning, the source noted that Syrian personnel were "at risk" as a result of the Iranian activities and the Israeli counterefforts.
According to the report, there have been at least "seven strikes against the burgeoning Iranian network conducted over the past two years by Israeli forces, including in Palmyra and Tartus in October 2021, Latakia in December 2021, Damascus in March 2022, an additional strike in Tartus in July 2022, and two strikes in Homs in November and December of 2022."
The Syrian government has blamed Israel for the air raids, and the state media claimed they have resulted in the death and wounding of both Syrian soldiers and civilians. According to the source, Israel's strikes have killed 10 Iranians, including two Iranian air defense engineers killed in the March 2022 airstrike, for which Iran vowed revenge.
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