Israeli Air Force jets conducted a series of airstrikes on the city of Al-Qusayr in rural Homs, targeting warehouses used by the "Radwan Force" affiliated with Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, according to a statement released by the Israeli military on Thursday.
The statement clarified that the targeted warehouses belonged to Hezbollah’s armament unit, with the strikes aimed at reducing efforts to transport weapons from Iran to Hezbollah via Syrian territory. The Israeli army added that Hezbollah’s militia seeks to establish a logistical network across the Syrian-Lebanese border for weapon transfers, which endangers the security of Syrian and Lebanese citizens.
The statement also noted the expansion of Hezbollah’s armament unit activities within Syrian territory, with support from the Syrian regime.
Earlier that same day, local sources reported that the airstrikes resulted in the deaths of five people, following three intense strikes that hit the industrial area of Al-Qusayr, causing widespread damage to several businesses. The strikes also targeted other areas, including the Jisr al-Daf region, the industrial zone, and the al-Hal market, leaving a cloud of smoke covering large parts of the city.
Sources indicated that the strikes also hit a Hezbollah warehouse in the industrial area, with loud explosions heard from the site following the attacks. Additionally, the strikes targeted residences rented by Hezbollah militia members in the northern and western neighborhoods of the city, specifically in an area between the Sektein district near the Al-Assi washing station on the Homs-Baalbek highway.
The sources further noted that the airstrikes targeted the vicinity of the historic Jisr al-Daf bridge, which was destroyed in earlier battles between the Free Syrian Army, Syrian regime forces, and Hezbollah militia in 2013 and was recently restored. This bridge connects the orchards of Al-Qusayr with villages west of the Assi River.
Additionally, the airstrikes targeted other locations around Al-Qusayr, including the vicinity of Hosh Sayyed Ali and the Jousieh border crossing between Syria and Lebanon, according to the sources.
