Tartus-Shima and the Israeli Occupation of Syria Amid the Absence of International Deterrence

By Elijah J. Magnier

After bombing hundreds of targets in the last days, Israeli aircraft and naval forces have launched a series of new attacks across Syria, targeting Albukamal on the Syrian-Iraqi border, as well as Hama, Homs, Latakia, and Tartus. The bombing of Tartus with 16 missiles caused an earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale, underscoring the expanding scope of Israel’s strategy. These strikes go far beyond Israel’s publicly stated objective of countering Iranian influence in Syria. They represent an assault on Syrian sovereignty and infrastructure, aiming to strip Syria of its defensive capabilities and render it strategically impotent. This agenda aligns with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration to “strengthen and double settlement in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, which has become Israel’s property forever.”

Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the departure of Iranian advisers and Lebanese Hezbollah forces, Israel has shifted its focus. Its objectives are no longer confined to preventing the so-called “Axis of Resistance” from transferring weapons to Lebanon or establishing a foothold in the region. Instead, the hundreds of Israeli strikes now aim to ensure that Syria cannot rebuild a cohesive defence system capable of posing a future threat to Israel or demanding the return of occupied territories, both longstanding (the Golan Heights) and recent.