Huge explosions rock Syrian airbase
At least 11 Syrian soldiers have been killed in a massive explosion at an airbase in Hama, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Sky News Arabia reported that dozens of members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards were also killed in the blast in the central part of the country. It said surface-to-air missiles systems had been the target of an attack. Footage allegedly from the scene showed a mushroom-shaped plume of smoke towering above the skyline.
The string of blasts hit a rocket, fuel and weapons store within the strategic military airport, 150 miles north of Damascus. It is also home to forces from Syria’s closest two allies: Iran and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia militia group. The Syrian regime confirmed the explosions but declined to specify the cause.
Rami Abdurrahman, director of SOHR, said: “Latest reports say it was a technical problem within the weapons storage, that contained naval mine equipment, rocket and fuel supplies. So far we know of 11 dead, all Syrian,” He added that the Hama airbase was where Syrian regime warplanes take off to carry out airstrikes on central and northern Syria.
Sources told Sky News Arabia that 57 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards died in the explosions. It speculated that Israel was behind the attack. Israel has repeatedly hit Iran’s military infrastructure in Syria, fearing it is building permanent bases in Syria from which to attack Israel.
Last Thursday Israel launched 70 separate airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria, in retaliation for what it claimed was an unsuccessful Iranian rocket attack on its forces in the occupied Golan Heights. They targeted multiple areas around Damascus including al-Kiswah military base, where the Iranian Grad and Fajr rockets were allegedly fired from.
The Israeli army declined to comment to The Times.
Al Jazeera Arabic reported that the Syrian regime transferred a large part of Iran’s weaponry and personnel to Hama military airport, after other bases in Hama were hit in suspected Israeli strikes.