Israel strikes two military bases in central Syria

Jerusalem: The Israeli army said Friday that it had struck two military bases in central Syria, including one in Palmyra, after a war monitor reported that the airbase in the city had been targeted. Since Islamist-led rebels overthrew strongman Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on military sites in Syria, saying it wants to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the new authorities it considers jihadists.

"A short while ago, the IDF struck military strategic capabilities that remained at the Syrian military bases of Tadmur and T4," the Israeli military said in a statement, referring to bases in Palmyra and another 50 kilomteres (30



miles) west of the city. Earlier, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "Israeli warplanes targeted the Palmyra military airport". 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded the demilitarisation of southern Syria and said his country will not tolerate the presence of forces from the new authorities south of the capital Damascus. The Syrian rebels included those who once formed Al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, though the new government has sought to distance itself from its past. Syria's foreign ministry has accused Israel of waging a campaign against "the stability of the country".