Over the course of just one week, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) dropped over 1,800 munitions, mainly heavy bombs, on Syrian military targets following the collapse of the Bashar Assad regime. The IAF has dropped approximately 83,000 munitions across all fronts since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
The airstrikes in Syria, concentrated over a 48-hour period, aimed to strip Assad’s military of its key capabilities to prevent them from falling into rebel hands. The IAF prioritized targets in Syria, including Syrian military equipment such as old artillery, tanks, anti-tank weapons, light ammunition, and personal arms.
The IAF has destroyed 80% of Syria’s air defense array, including the lethal SA-17 and SA-22 systems, hundreds of Sukhoi and MiG aircraft, attack helicopters, missile launchers for Raad and Scud types, cruise missiles, and chemical weapons systems. Assad’s firepower suffered a massive blow, with 90% of its key surface-to-surface missile batteries neutralized.
The IAF has also destroyed 44 radars and jammers, 390 launchers and missile components, 27 fighter jets, 24 attack helicopters, and 12 cruise missile launchers. The destruction of most of Syria’s air defense systems has opened the skies for IAF pilots in the northern fronts, allowing them to fly unimpeded over Damascus for the first time in over 50 years.
The success of the airstrikes has given the IDF confidence to update its plans to target Iran’s nuclear facilities, motivated by concerns that the collapse of the Shiite axis and Hezbollah’s weakening might drive Tehran to make a desperate move towards military nuclear capabilities.
The IAF continues to conduct bi-daily strikes on Syria-Lebanon border crossings and has highlighted the success of its operations in eliminating both senior and tactical leadership within Hezbollah. Approximately two-thirds of Hezbollah’s rockets and missiles have been destroyed, achieving a high interception rate.
The IAF has also completed its investigation into the October 7 massacre and plans to present its findings to the IDF’s General Staff next week. The report will later be made public, but the IAF might demand the simultaneous release of investigations from other branches to provide a comprehensive view of the failures that led to Hamas’ attack.