Syrian media reported a significant explosion on Thursday at a former military site near the village of al-Rabiya in rural Hama, where a missile storage facility was reportedly located. According to Syrian radio station Sham FM, “the cause of the explosion remains unknown, and no information has yet been received regarding the extent of the damage.”
Missile explosion inside an ammunition depot in the city of Hama, Syria
Qatari outlet Al-Araby and the Iraq-based Sabrin News agency, affiliated with pro-Iranian militias, claimed the blast was the result of an Israeli drone strike. Other reports indicated that four people were killed in the incident.
Additional unconfirmed reports in Syrian media claimed that Israel also targeted a Syrian air defense battalion west of Hama airport, near the villages of Matnin and al-Rabiya. According to those accounts, two individuals were killed and three others wounded. Another report alleged that the IDF carried out artillery fire toward Daraa in southern Syria. However, the IDF said it was “not currently aware of any fire toward Syria.”
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The Syrian news outlet SyriaTV confirmed the death toll in Hama as four, but noted conflicting reports regarding the cause of the explosion. Saudi-owned Al-Hadath claimed that drone activity was heard in the area shortly before the missile depot detonated.
The incident follows a separate security alert on Wednesday at 9:36 p.m., when sirens sounded in the Israeli communities of Hispin and Ramat Magshimim in the southern Golan Heights. The IDF reported that two projectiles were launched from Syrian territory and landed in open areas inside Israel.
Defense Minister Israel Katz responded to the rocket fire by holding the Syrian regime directly accountable: “We view the president of Syria as personally responsible for every threat and launch against the State of Israel. A full response will follow shortly. We will not return to the reality of October 7.”