ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday warned Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa against allowing “hostile” forces to operate in his country, cautioning that doing so would result in a “heavy price.” Notably referring to Sharaa by his former nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, Katz said, “I warn Syrian leader Jolani: If you allow hostile forces to enter Syria and threaten Israeli security interests, you will pay a heavy price,” according to a statement relayed by AFP. Referencing a series of airstrikes carried out by Israel in Syria on Wednesday, Katz emphasized that “The [Israeli] Air Force’s activity yesterday near the airports in [Tiyas Air Base] T4, Hama, and the Damascus area sends a clear message and serves as a warning for the future.” Israeli airstrikes targeted sites near the Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) in Barzeh, north of Damascus, as well as the Hama military airport and the strategic T4 Air Base in Homs. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Thursday reported on “the major Israeli escalation” which “killed four defense ministry [personnel] and injured 12 others” in an “Israeli attack on Hama military airport” which saw “Israeli warplanes launch 18 airstrikes,” leaving the airport “completely out of service.” The UK-based war monitor also reported seven other airstrikes on the T4 Air Base and its vicinity “leading to human losses.” The total number of Israeli air raids on Syrian territories on Wednesday reached 25, according to SOHR. For their part, Daraa health officials reported on Wednesday that at least nine civilians were killed and 23 others were injured in the Israeli raids, according to a statement from Daraa province’s official channel on Telegram. Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said it had conducted an infiltration operation, “confiscating weapons and destroying terrorist infrastructure” along Syria’s southern border with Israel, in Daraa province. Following a swift offensive, a coalition of opposition groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), headed by Sharaa, in early December toppled the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. In late January, Sharaa was appointed as Syria’s interim president. Since Assad’s ouster, Israel has intensified its efforts to destroy Damascus’s military stockpiles. Israeli forces have also entered a buffer zone east of the annexed Golan Heights, justifying the move as a security precaution amid Syria’s political instability. Katz on Thursday underscored that Israeli forces “will continue to operate on the summit of Mount Hermon and in security and buffer zones to protect” Israeli communities in the Golan Heights and the Galilee. Since the beginning of 2025, SOHR says it has documented 44 Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, including 37 aerial strikes and six ground attacks. The Israeli military action has resulted in the destruction of approximately 50 sites, including weapons and ammunition depots, headquarters, command centers, and vehicles, according to the war monitor.
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