Massive Israeli airstrikes ‘completely destroy’ Syrian military airports & bases; troops kill gunmen in overnight raid

In an intense night of Israeli operations throughout Syria, the Air Force conducted massive airstrikes on several military airports and bases, while ground troops of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were involved in a firefight deep within Syrian territory.

According to an IDF statement on Thursday morning, the airstrikes targeted “military capabilities that remained at the Syrian bases of Hama and T4, along with additional remaining military infrastructure sites in the area of Damascus.”

However, an Israeli official told i24 News, “The Israeli strikes in Syria, both acknowledged and unacknowledged, are intended to convey a message to Turkey: Do not establish a military base in the country and do not interfere with Israeli activity in the country's skies.”

Over a dozen airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force within the last hour on military sites in Central Syria, with strikes reported against Barzah Scientific Research Facility in Damascus, as well as Hama Air Base and the T-4 Air Base in the Homs Governorate. pic.twitter.com/WNfXaJBUWX

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 2, 2025

Several media reports suggested that the Turkish military had begun setting up a permanent presence in several Syrian military airports in recent days, including air defense systems, which could threaten Israel’s freedom of action.

Later on Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in a statement: "If you allow forces hostile to Israel to enter Syria and endanger Israeli security interests, you will pay a very heavy price. The Air Force's activity is a warning to the future – we will not allow the security of the State of Israel to be harmed."

Army Radio also reported that the “Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center,” which functioned as the ousted Assad regime’s weapons development center, was one of the targets attacked in the Damascus area.

#Israel is pounding #Syria

The message of the Israeli attacks in Syria is for Turkey: Do not establish a military base in the country and do not interfere with Israeli activity in the country's skies.

The runway at the airport in Hama airbase has been completely destroyed pic.twitter.com/TZul1qclaQ

— Dr. Fundji Benedict (@Fundji3) April 2, 2025

Another source cited by i24 News said that the sites attacked overnight were “completely destroyed.”

A statement from the Syrian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Hama airport was almost completely demolished, and the Defense Ministry said that 15 people were killed and dozens of civilians and military personnel were injured in the strikes.

#Syria: Israel is still bombing #Hama Airbase. pic.twitter.com/PdsBtML8IG

— Qalaat Al Mudiq (@QalaatAlMudiq) April 2, 2025

Syria further condemned the “unjustified escalation,” claiming Israel’s “repeated attacks” are part of a strategy to “normalize violence once again in the country” and to undermine recovery efforts after Syria’s 14 years of Civil War.

In addition to the aerial bombardment, Israeli troops also continued their campaign of ground raids to destroy military equipment left over from the Assad regime.

These are the two villages where recent clashes took place; Koya on March 25 and now in Tasil. This is a senstive area near the Jordanian border and also it's worth recalling it was once controlled by an ISIS affiliate (Jaysh Khalid) before 2018 when the Syrian regime returned to… https://t.co/dSgzPxC19O pic.twitter.com/LAgE4wOy4S

— Seth Frantzman (@sfrantzman) April 3, 2025

However, this time, the troops encountered serious resistance and came under fire during a raid near Tassil, some 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the Israeli border.

In the ensuing firefight, Israeli forces killed at least 10 gunmen, according to Syrian media reports.

The IDF stated that troops of the 474th Brigade were acting to confiscate weapons and destroy terror infrastructure when “several militants fired at our forces in the area. The forces responded with fire and eliminated several armed terrorists from the ground and air.”

“The forces completed their mission in the area, there were no casualties among our forces. The presence of weapons in southern Syria constitutes a threat to the State of Israel. The IDF will not allow a military threat to exist in Syria and will act against it,” the military stated.

The incident was near the village of Kowaya, where Israeli troops came under fire for the first time about two weeks ago.