Thread by @Elizrael

This morning around Damascus:
* IED attack claimed by Abu Amara Brigade (rebels) against a secret police HQ bit.ly/2FBVi8T
* Israeli air strikes south of Damascus, apparently in al-Kisweh confirmed by regime outlet SANA. Quite unprecedented:Israel mostly strikes at night

Israeli strikes caused a Mahan Air flight to turn back, but now it is trying to return to Damascus again. Credit: @putintintin1 and @ArtWendeley
Iran routinely uses Mahan Air to deliver weapons to Syria bit.ly/2FBn6KF

@putintintin1 @ArtWendeley Israeli strikes apparently prevent Mahan Air fight from landing in Damascus and it is now over Iraq. Via @ArtWendeley and @obretix

@putintintin1 @ArtWendeley @obretix Likely in response to Syrian Anti-Aircraft fire toward Israeli jet(s) striking around Damascus

https://twitter.com/AAhronheim/status/1086960815482290177

@putintintin1 @ArtWendeley @obretix Summary:
* Israel bombed targets near Damascus causing a Mahan Air flight to return to Iran. A rare day-time attack.
* Regime's air defenses fired at Israeli jet(s).
* AA missile entered air space of occupied Hermon.
* Israeli air defense launched 2 intercepting missiles

@putintintin1 @ArtWendeley @obretix Context of Israeli strikes on Iranian targets/weapon shipments in Syria in my recent piece for @newrepublic bit.ly/2Fw4niJ

@putintintin1 @ArtWendeley @obretix @newrepublic Israel's leadership recently became more willing to acknowledge strikes in Syria. Israel wants to send a message to Iran & Hezbollah, which rightly feel victorious in Syria & wider region, esp following US withdrawal announcement from Syria.

@putintintin1 @ArtWendeley @obretix @newrepublic Israeli officials express satisfaction about preventing Syria from becoming a staging ground for Iran: Tehran apparently gave up on establishing permanent bases in Syria or sending even larger numbers of foreign Shia fighters there bit.ly/2FObqmT

@putintintin1 @ArtWendeley @obretix @newrepublic However, Iran today is arguably in the best strategic & military position its been since 1979: Hezbollah is much better-armed today than in 2006 & its fighters are combat-tested. Weapon shipments will continue.
Iran in 2019 has greater influence in the Levant than in 2011.

Surreal footage from today's incident. Israeli anti-missile systems launch interceptors toward a Syrian anti-aircraft missile over skiers in the Hermon Mount resort.
Video by Elad Ben Moshe

According to the IDF, the Syrians fired a surface-to-surface missile following the (failed) attempts to shoot down Israeli jets. The Iron Dome system intercepted this missile, not the anti-aircraft missiles fired by the BUK system. (h/t @AAhronheim)