Explosions were heard by TV7’s local sources in the eastern countryside of the Syrian Homs Governorate, apparently caused by the Assad regime’s aerial defense array – amid an alleged strike by Israeli aircraft.
The strike, which originated from the direction of Lebanon’s airspace, targeted numerous installations that are known to house Iranian-backed militias. According to one corroborated report, a number of missiles penetrated Syria’s surface-to-air systems, destroying several targets in Syria’s Palmyra desert, which is situated east of Homs governorate.
While extensive damage was caused to the Iranian-funded installations; there were no immediate reports of any casualties. It is important to underscore that, in response to TV7’s request for comment, the IDF Spokesperson’s unit did not confirmed nor deny its involvement.
Meanwhile in Damascus, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad welcomed Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to his Presidential Palace. The two allies discussed regional developments, bolstering bilateral cooperation, and the situation in Syria’s Jihadist-plagued Idlib governorate where the Turkish military has asserted its dominance.
During their meeting, both Assad and Zarif repeatedly slammed the United States for its refusal to lift sanctions on both Damascus and Tehran; despite the fact that the Islamic Republic has repeatedly refused American offers of humanitarian aid, and separately, that Syria recurrently receives convoys of humanitarian aid, largely funded by Washington and other Western powers.
Nevertheless, both Assad and Zarif lamented that the coronavirus had become a way for “political investment” by Western countries – which they claim – exploit the crisis for their own national gains.