Mon Mar 03 19:34:35 UTC 2025: ## Israel Launches Air Strikes Near Syrian Port City of Tartous
**BEIRUT** – Israeli forces conducted air strikes near the Syrian port city of Tartous on Monday, according to Syrian state media. The Israeli military confirmed the strikes, stating that they targeted a military site in Qardaha, the hometown of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, where weapons belonging to the previous regime were stored. Syrian state news agency SANA reported no casualties but said civil defense teams were assessing the damage.
This latest attack is part of a series of hundreds of Israeli air strikes in Syria since the toppling of al-Assad in December. Israel claims these strikes aim to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of hostile groups. Last week, Israel also carried out strikes in southern Syria, targeting military sites. These actions follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for demilitarization of the region.
Israel’s actions have drawn strong condemnation from Syria. Participants at a recent Syrian national dialogue conference rejected Netanyahu’s statements and urged international pressure to halt Israeli aggression and violations of Syrian sovereignty. The conference also criticized Israel’s attempts to exploit sectarian tensions by offering protection to Syria’s Druze minority. Israel’s deployment of forces into a UN-monitored demilitarised zone within Syria has been described as a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement.
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