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Satellite picture of new Iranian base

Report: Iran establishes new military base in Syria

Just months after Israel reportedly knocked out an Iranian military base south of Damascus, Fox News publishes satellite pictures depicting brand new base said to be operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards northwest of the Syrian capital, containing hangars for stockpiling missiles capable of 'hitting all of Israel.'

Iran has gained another foothold in Syria by establishing a permanent military base outside Damascus, according to a report by Fox News, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's repeated warnings that Israel will not allow any Iranian military entrenchment in the war-torn country. 

 

 

Western intelligence officials, the report says, say that the base contains hangars used to stockpile missiles “capable of hitting all of Israel.”

 

New reported Iranian base in Syria (Photo: Fox News)
New reported Iranian base in Syria (Photo: Fox News)

 

Satellite pictures taken by ImageSat International show what appears to be a new Iranian base located approximately 12 kilometers northwest of Damascus which is believed to be operated by the Quds Force—the special operations arm of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

 

In the pictures, white 18 by 27 meter white hangars for storing short and medium-range missiles can be seen.

 

The base is similar to that which was established by the Iranians south of the Syrian capital and that was destroyed, according to foreign reports, by Israel last December.

 

 (Photo: Fox News)

Gen. Joseph L. Votel, head of US Central Commander warned on Tuesday that Iran was “increasing” the number and “quality” of its ballistic missiles it was deploying to the region.

 

Last December, Arab media outlets reported that Israel attacked an Iranian base near the town of al-Kiswah, 15 kilometers southwest of Syrian capital Damascus. Arab-language Sky News reported that Israeli fighter jets launched air-to-surface missiles from Lebanese airspace at the compound.

 

Reported expansion on the Iranian base  (Photo: Digital Globe, McKenze intelligence Services, BBC)
Reported expansion on the Iranian base (Photo: Digital Globe, McKenze intelligence Services, BBC)

 

Syrian state television corroborated the report, saying Israeli missiles struck a military position near Damascus overnight and Syria's air defense system thwarted them.

 

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, Netanyahu told European diplomats and leaders that "Israel will not allow the regime to put a noose of terror around our neck.," threatening to strike Iran directly if forced to.

 

PM presents piece of an Iranian drone he says Israel shot down on February 10 (Photo: Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
PM presents piece of an Iranian drone he says Israel shot down on February 10 (Photo: Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

 

"We will act if necessary not just against Iran's proxies but against Iran itself," he said, listing the threats that Tehran poses to Israel and the world.

 

Last week, a New York Times investigative report revealed the scope and depth of Iranian entrenchment in Syria. Iran, through its presence in Syria, was "redrawing the strategic map of the region," as per the paper.

 

The New York Times' mapping of Iranian presence in Syria
The New York Times' mapping of Iranian presence in Syria

 

The report detailed Iranian bases and posts inside Syria, presenting a high concentration of Iranian outposts along the border with Israel.

 

The red squares on the map above represent administrative bases, logistical bases, control centers for UAVs (drones), training centers and more. The map does not, however, include temporary bases established near zones of conflict.

 


פרסום ראשון: 02.28.18, 08:59
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