Israel launches 'earthquake bomb' powerful as 3.1 magnitude on Syria
What's the story
Israel has unleashed a wave of brutal airstrikes on military installations in Syria's coastal Tartus region.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights termed the strikes the most intense since 2012.
The targets were air defense units and surface-to-surface missile depots.
The explosions were so intense that they registered a magnitude of 3.1 on seismic sensors, prompting their description as an "earthquake bomb."
Blast impact
Blast detected 820km away, indicates large armament storage
The Tartus region hosts one of Russia's two military bases in Syria, once used as a naval base and ammunition depot.
The size of the explosion indicates a large quantity of armaments was stored there.
Independent researcher Richard Cordaro said the blast was recorded at a magnetometer station 820km away in Iznik, Turkey.
Security measure
Israel's airstrikes aim to thwart security threats
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were aimed at countering security threats and maintaining stability along Israel's northern border.
"We have no interest in a conflict with Syria," he said, stressing that Israel's actions were aimed at preventing terrorist elements near its border.
The attack is part of Israel's continuous efforts to prevent advanced weaponry from reaching hostile groups like Hezbollah.
Twitter Post
Watch video of explosion on X
The Target of tonight’s Israeli Strikes near the City of Tartus in Western Syria is reported to have been the Base of the 23rd Air Defense Brigade as well as Surface-to-Surface Missile Warehouses, which is likely what caused several of the Large Explosions. pic.twitter.com/gFUbu7aRZg
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 16, 2024
Syria's response
Syria criticizes Israel's airstrikes as 'unprovoked aggression'
Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria's de facto leader after Bashar al-Assad was ousted, criticized the strikes as "unprovoked aggression."
He stressed that Syria is now focused on reconstruction and avoiding further military confrontations.
In an interview with the Syrian TV news channel on Saturday, al-Sharaa said that Israel has "no more excuses" to carry out airstrikes. He added that the recent attacks on Syrian soil have crossed red lines and pose a risk of unjustified escalation in the region.