Israeli attacks in 2022 | 65 targets destroyed and over 100 people killed and wounded in 21 attacks so far
Israel continues to violate Syria’s sovereignty, citing the large military presence of Iranian forces and their proxy militias as an excuse, and noticeably escalated its strikes in Syria in early 2018, while the Syrian regime seems satisfied with mere condemnations and press releases.
In this report, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) presents detailed information on all the Israeli strikes on Syria since the beginning of 2022. SOHR has also documented the human losses and material damage caused by these attacks. The details of all Israeli attacks are summarised in the following main points:
Targeted areas, fatalities, and material damage
SOHR documented 21 airstrikes and ground rocket attacks since the beginning of 2022, during which Israel targeted several positions in Syria, destroying nearly 64 targets, including buildings, warehouses, headquarters, centres and vehicles. These strikes killed 45 military personnel and injured 57 others, as well as the injury of 23 civilians, including a little girl and at least three women.
The deaths were as follows:
• Two Iranian officers operating under the banner of Al-Quds Corps.
• Ten Iranian-backed Syrian fighters.
• Ten Iranian-backed fighters of non-Syrian nationality.
• 21 regime soldiers.
• Two collaborators with Lebanese Hezbollah.
• The head of “Customer Service and Air Cargo Department” and ground treatment director.
Meanwhile, the attacks are distributed regionally as follows:
• Damascus and Rif Dimashq: 12 attacks
• Al-Quneitera: Five attacks
• Hama: Three attacks
• Tartus: Two attacks
Full details of the Israeli attacks are categorised as follows:
• January 5: A fire broke out in bushes of Al-Huriyyah village near Occupied Syrian Golan, after Israeli tanks had opened fire on a military post in that area. The attack coincided with military movements in the area.
• January 31: positions of the Lebanese Hezbollah nearby Al-Qutayfa city in eastern Qalamoun area to the north-east of the capital, Damascus, came under an Israeli attack. According to SOHR sources, at least five explosions were heard in Al-Qutayfa city followed by the outbreak of fire in military posts and weapons and ammunitions warehouses of Lebanese Hezbollah in the vicinity of the city.
• February 9: Israeli forces carried out two rounds of attacks in Syrian territory in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The first round was carried out by fighter jets flying over Lebanon, where the Israeli airstrikes targeted positions on the old highway between Damascus and Beirut in Rif Dimashq and the outskirts of Jadidat Al-Shibani in Wadi Baradi where warehouses and military positions of Iranian-backed militias are located. Meanwhile, regime air-defences attempted to intercept the Israeli airstrikes, shooting down some missiles. The second round of Israeli attacks, which was carried out with rockets fired from the occupied Syrian Golan, targeted regime air-defence batteries in the same area, killing a regime first lieutenant. It is worth noting that shrapnel of a missile fired by regime air-defences caused material damage to civilian properties in a neighbourhood Qudsiyya area.
• February 17: Israeli missiles fired from the occupied Syrian Golan targeted at least one building belonging to the Division-7 Ground Forces in the area between Zakya and Khan Al-Shih in western Rif Dimashq. The sound of the explosion was heard in faraway suburbs. The attack targeted a meeting attended by unidentified security and military officials. However, the results of the attack remain unknown, while ambulances were seen rushing to the attacked site till dawn. SOHR sources added that the region had witnessed high traffic of cars, a few hours before the attack.
• February 23: Israeli surface-to-surface missiles fired from the occupied Syrian Golan targeted a finance directorate headquarters in Al-Ba’ath city and other positions nearby Al-Rowhinah village in Al-Quneitra province. The attack caused only material damages. It is worth noting that Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias are deployed in several posts in Al-Rowhinah and Al-Ba’ath.
• February 24: Israeli rocket fire hit posts and weapons warehouses of Iranian-backed militias nearby Damascus international airport and the air-defence system in areas along Al-Keswah and Sayeda Zeinab, south of Damascus. The attack killed seven people, including four Syrians: two regime soldiers and two members close to the Lebanese Hezbollah. The three others were Iranian-backed militias, but their nationalities remained unknown.
• March 7: Two officers of “Al-Quds Corps”, which is affiliated with the Iranian “Revolutionary Guard Corps” and two Syrian fighters of Iranian-backed militias were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military posts near Damascus national airport. It is worth noting that while attempting to intercept the Israeli missiles by regime, one of regime air defence’s missiles hit a marble factory in “Dahiayt Al-Assad” area in Rif Dimashq, completely destroying the marble factory.
• April 9: Israeli missiles hit five positions in west Hama countryside in the following areas: the vicinity of the faculty of administration, the scientific research centre which hosts defence service’s factories, a military post in Al-Suwaidah village and a military post on the outskirts of Masyaf.
• April 14: Israel fired missiles on military positions in the vicinity of Rakhla town and near the poultry farms between Ambiyah and Kaf Qouq towns in the vicinity of Qatna, south-west of Rif Dimashq. That region hosts a military site of Iranian-backed militias and the “Palestine Liberation Army.”
• April 27: Israeli missiles hit military outposts in the vicinity of Sahnaya, Jabal Al-Sumariah near the 100th Regiment, the mountain which is near Damascus international airport, an area between Dummar and Qudsaya, as well as Al-Kiswah area in Rif Dimashq, which hosts military positions of regime forces, Iranian-backed militias and the Lebanese Hezbollah. The Israeli attack left ten military personnel dead: six Syrians, including a colonel and four other fighters whose nationalities remain unknown. The Israeli rocket fire also led to the destruction of weapons and ammunition warehouses in Al-Sumariyan area and the mountain near Damascus international airport, as well as the destruction of military barracks in Sahnaya and Al-Kiswah.
• May 11: SOHR sources reported that Israeli missiles hit positions in the vicinity of Hader town in northern Al-Quneitra countryside near the border with the occupied Syrian Golan, where positions of Iranian and Hezbollah-backed militias, mainly the “Syrian Resistance for the Liberation of the Golan,” are deployed.
• May 13: Six officers and non-commissioned officers, including five of Air-defence forces, were killed in a direct Israeli attack on an Air-Defence vehicle carrying them while they were attempting to intercept the Israeli rockets fired on Wadi Al-Oyun road, west of Masyaf, and Al-Suwaidah area to the south-east of Masyaf in Hama province. In addition, the Israeli rocket fire left over ten other combatants and civilians, including a little girl, injured.
• May 20:, Israeli missiles hit military positions of Iranian-backed militias in the vicinity of Jabal Al-Mani’, near Al-Kiswah city in south-western Rif Dimashq, and in Jamraya area, north of the capital Damascus, and the surrounding areas of Damascus international airport. In addition, shrapnel of Israeli missiles hit a farm in Sayeda Zeinab area controlled by Iranian-backed militias, south of Damascus. The Israeli bombardment left five people dead; they are as follows:
– Three air-defence officers.
– A regime soldier.
– The head of “Customer Service and Air Cargo Department” and ground treatment director.
• June 6: loud explosions were heard in the southern part of Rif Dimashq due to an Israeli aerial attack on military positions in Al-Keswa area where militiamen of the Lebanese Hezbollah and Syrian regime batteries are deployed. The site was targeted with nearly ten missiles, nearly seven of which were intercepted by regime air-defences. Also, an Israeli missile hit a position in Aqraba town, which caused material damage only.
• June 10: Israel fired several missiles on Damascus international airport, specifically the northern runway, the control tower, the old arrival halls, three hangars, and warehouses. It is worth noting that these old arrival halls, vast parts of which were destroyed, had been opened previously for those who were on their way to Saudi Arabia to perform the pilgrimage. These halls were later used for welcoming senior commanders of IRGC and Lebanese Hezbollah secretly and temporarily storing Iranian weapons, before Iranian headquarters were transported to areas to the south of Damascus. The airport was back in service on June 22, after maintenance work had been accomplished.
• July 2: Several violent explosions were heard in areas in the countryside of Tartous near and at the border with Lebanon due to Israeli airstrikes that hit positions in and around Al-Hamidiyah area south of Tartous near the border. Israeli missiles hit animal husbandry believed to be used militarily and commercially by Lebanese Hezbollah, causing severe material damage. A young man also suffered a broken foot and a woman also suffered bruises because of the shrapnel of Israeli missiles.
• July 7: An Israeli drone targeted a person from Hadar town in northern Al-Quneitra countryside, on Wednesday evening, immediately killing him. According to SOHR sources, the dead man was working in monitoring and reconnaissance for Lebanese Hezbollah, in Hadar town on the occupied Syrian Golan border. The man was targeted by the Israeli drone near his house in Maqlaa’ Hadi area west of Hadar town.
• July 22: Israeli attacks killed three people of non-Syrian nationalities and two “collaborators” with the Lebanese Hezbollah in a position hosting a workshop for manufacturing Iranian drones nearby Sayeda Zeinab area, as well as three Syrian members in military positions hosting air defence batteries in the perimeter of Al-Mazzah airbase. Israeli missiles hit offices of the Air-force Intelligence service, the office of a senior officer and a car on the perimeter of Al-Mazzah airbase. Moreover, missiles hit positions near a security checkpoint on the perimeter of Al-Mazzah airbase, Al-Mazzah highway, and an Iranian warehouse in the vicinity of Sayeda Zeinab area, destroying it completely.
• August 12: An Israeli tank fired shells on Al-Himaydiyah area in Al-Quneitra countryside at the border with occupied Syrian Golan, injuring two people.
• August 14: Three regime soldiers were killed and several others were injured in an Israeli attack which hit a base of the air-defence forces and a radar system’s unit in Abu Afsah village, five kilometres to the south of Tartous city on the Syrian coastline. The targeted posts are located nearly eight kilometres away from the Russian base. Israeli missiles also hit a regime military post in Al-Qutyfah area in Rif Dimashq.
• August 25: A regime soldier was killed in Israeli strikes that hit warehouses in the vicinity of Masyaf in west Hama countryside. The Israeli missiles also hit positions and ammunitions and weapons depots of Iranian-backed militias in areas on Wadi Al-Oyun road to the west of Masyaf, the scientific research area, Al-Suwaidah area to the south-east of Masyaf and Al-Jalimah area. Following the attack, successive loud explosions were heard for hours, while SOHR documented the injury of 14 civilians. According to SOHR sources, the Iranian missiles, which exploded in the warehouses targeted by the Israeli attack, were assembled over the course of more than a year and their number is estimated to be more than 1,000.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) is used to hearing the Syrian regime’s empty mantra that it always reserves the right to respond to Israeli attacks. However, regime forces do not hesitate when it comes to shelling opposition positions or bombarding residential and civilian areas inside Syria. The Iranians also dare not launch a large-scale military operation against Israel, as they know full well that they will be facing the might of Israel’s military, so the Iranians seem satisfied with letting its proxies do its bidding by firing only a few rockets from time to time on the occupied Syrian Golan, using the Iranian and Hezbollah-backed movement “Syrian Resistance to Liberate Golan”.
At a time when the Syrian regime “intercepts and downs” Israeli missiles only with a Russian green light, Israel can hit Iranian targets -with the purpose of undermining the Iranian military presence in Syria- and only with Russia’s full consent.
On the other hand, Washington justifies Israel’s stance that “Tel Aviv practices its legal rights to defend its security and interests against the Iranian direct threat”, not to mention the US desire to get Syria free of Iranian forces and militias.
We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), call for keeping the Syrian civilians out of the regional conflicts as the targeted areas and facilities are owned by Syrian people alone, not by Iran or its proxy militias.
SOHR stresses the importance of expelling the Iranian forces and militias from Syria without risking the safety and lives of civilians or damaging Syria’s public properties and facilities.
