The IDF struck weapons depots in the Latakia area of Syria, containing surface-to-surface missiles, the IDF confirmed in a statement on Friday evening.
The Israel Air Force also struck surface-to-air missile components.
One civilian was killed in the strike on Latakia, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported. The weapons posed an international threat as well as a threat to Israel’s maritime navigation abilities, the IDF statement said.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the strikes were done to defend Israel’s security. “The IDF attacked and destroyed strategic weapons across Syria this evening that posed an immediate threat to the State of Israel. We will not allow threats, and no party will have immunity – we will continue to defend Israel’s security.”
This comes after news this week that Israel and Syria are in direct contact and have, in recent weeks, held face-to-face meetings aimed at calming tensions and preventing conflict in the border region between the two longtime foes.
The contacts mark a significant development in ties between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades, as the US encourages the new Islamist rulers in Damascus to establish relations with Israel and the Jewish state eases its bombardment of its northeastern neighbor.
They also build on back-channel talks via intermediaries since Islamist rebels Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad in December, said two Syrian and two Western sources, as well as a regional intelligence source familiar with the matter.
US envoy in Syria, believes in better Syria-Israel ties
The United States’ newly appointed Syria envoy, Thomas Barrack, said he believed peace between Syria and Israel was achievable. Barrack made his first trip to Damascus on Thursday, praising the Islamist-led government and saying it was ready for dialogue.
“Syria and Israel are a solvable problem. But it starts with a dialogue,” Barrack told a small group of journalists in Damascus. “I’d say we need to start with just a non-aggression agreement [and] talk about boundaries and borders.”