With increasing Iranian involvement in Syrian civil war from 2011 onwards, the conflict between Iran and Israel shifted from a proxy war into a direct confrontation by early 2018.
History One of the first reported Israeli airstike against Iranian-linked targets in Syria was on 30 January 2013, when Israeli aircraft struck a Syrian convoy in Rif Dimashq allegedly transporting Iranian weapons to Hezbollah.
Israel historically refused to comment on its purported actions in Syria, allegedly so that the Syrian government would not feel obliged to retaliate.
In March 2017, Syria launched anti-aircraft missiles toward Israeli-controlled parts of the Golan Heights, allegedly targeting Israeli Air Force aircraft, which Syria claimed were on their way to attack targets in Palmyra, Syria. After the incident, the State of Israel stated it was targeting weapons shipments headed toward anti-Israeli forces, specifically Hezbollah, located in Lebanon. Israel denied Syria's claim that one jet fighter was shot down with another one damaged. Israel has not reported any pilots or aircraft missing in Syria, or anywhere else in the Middle East following the incident. According to some sources, the incident was the first time Israeli officials confirmed an Israeli strike on a Hezbollah convoy during the Syrian Civil War.
By early December 2017, the Israeli Air Force confirmed at least 100 attacks over the past six years in Syria, all targeting arms convoys of Hezbollah and the Ba'athists.Israeli missiles hit military post near Damascus: Syrian state TV Reuters, 2 December 2017. In September 2018, the Israeli Air Force stated that it had conducted over 200 airstrikes on Iranian targets in 2017–2018 alone.IDF says it has bombed over 200 Iranian targets in Syria since 2017 .
The most significant direct encounter to date between Israel and Iran, was on 18 May 2018, when Israel claimed it struck nearly all key Iranian military targets in Syria, including the IRGC's logisitics headquarters, after an Iranian rocket attack in the Golan Heights. Israel's response was its largest strike in Syria since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
In 2023 and 2024, following the start of the Gaza war, the Israeli strikes in Syria increased in frequency and intensity. It was reported that Israel stopped providing advanced warnings and were "bombing to kill".
Timeline 2013 On 30 January 2013, Israeli aircraft allegedly struck a Syrian convoy transporting Iranian weapons to Hezbollah. Other sources stated the targeted site was a military research center in Jamraya responsible for developing biological and chemical weapons.
Two additional air strikes, also attributed to Israel, reportedly took place on 3 and 5 May 2013. Both allegedly targeted long-ranged weapons sent from Iran to Hezbollah.
According to anonymous US officials, Israel launched another attack on 5 July. It allegedly targeted Russian-made Yakhont anti-ship missiles near the city of Latakia and killed several Syrian troops. While initial reports claimed that it was an airstrike, Israeli media later reported that the attack had been carried out with cruise missiles launched from a Dolphin class submarine.
An unidentified U.S. administration official on 31 October said Israeli warplanes struck a Syrian base near the port of Latakia, targeting missiles that Israel thought might be transferred to its Lebanese militia enemy Hezbollah.
The relationship between the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Islamic Republic of Iran strengthened as a result of Hamas moving away from Iran due to differing positions in the Syrian Civil War. Iran rewarded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine's pro-Assad stance with an increase in financial and military assistance. Abu Ahmad Fouad, a PFLP political bureau member said that the group might retaliate toward Israel if the United States bombs Syria.
On 15 December 2013, a Lebanese sniper opened fire at an Israeli vehicle traveling near the border area of Rosh Hanikra, killing a soldier inside. Several hours later, the Israeli military said it shot two Lebanese soldiers after spotting "suspicious movement" in the same area.
2014 Syrian opposition sources, as well as Lebanese sources, reported that another strike happened in Latakia on 26 January 2014. Explosions were reported in the city and Israeli planes were reported over Lebanon. The target was allegedly S-300 missiles.Israeli planes said to hit missile site in Syria The Times of Israel. 27 January 2014
It was reported that Israeli aircraft carried out two airstrikes against Hezbollah facilities in Lebanon near the border with Syria on 24 February 2014, killing several militants. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed the attack targeted a Hezbollah missile base.Report: Hezbollah militants killed in Israeli strike Yedioth Ahronoth. 24 February 2014
On 7 December 2014, Israeli jets allegedly bombed areas near Damascus international airport and in the town of Dimas, near the border with Lebanon. According to foreign reports, the attack targeted a warehouse of advanced S-300 missiles, which were en route from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Al Arabiya reported that two Hezbollah militants were killed in the strikes, including a senior military official.
2015 On 18 January 2015, Israeli helicopters allegedly attacked a Hezbollah's convoy in the Syrian-controlled part of Golan Heights, killing six prominent members of Hezbollah and six IRGC commanders, including a General. On 28 January, Hezbollah fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli military convoy in the Shebaa farms, killing two soldiers and wounding seven. Israel responded with at least 50 artillery shells across the border into southern Lebanon, in which a Spanish UN peacekeeper was killed.
On 25 April 2015, a series of attacks attributed to the Israeli Air Force was made in the al-Qalamoun region of Syria against Hezbollah camps and weapons convoys in two brigade bases. Al-Nusra Front, however, has also claimed the attacks.
On 29 July 2015, Israeli airplanes reportedly struck a vehicle located in a Druze village in southwestern Syria, killing Hezbollah men and a pro-Assad militiaman. A second airstrike targeted a military base along the Syrian-Lebanese border belonging to a pro-Syrian Palestinian faction.
On 20 and 21 August 2015, after four rockets hit the Golan Heights and Upper Galilee, Israel allegedly launched airstrikes in Syria, killing several militants.
According to Syrian media, on 31 October 2015, Israeli aircraft attacked numerous Hezbollah targets in southern Syria, close to the border with Lebanon in the Qalamoun Mountains region. Estimated targets included a weapons convoy destined for Hezbollah. It was reported another Israeli airstrike near Damascus airport on 11 November that targeted Hezbollah weapons warehouses.
The Syrian opposition reported an Israeli airstrike in the Qualamoun area of the Syria–Lebanon border on 23 November 2015. According to these sources, the strike killed 13 Syrian troops and Hezbollah fighters, and left dozens wounded, including four seriously. The Qualamoun region has been a major transit point for Hezbollah fighters and other logistical equipment to and from Syria. According to Syrian sources, Israeli aircraft attacked again the Syrian army and Hezbollah targets in the area around Qalamoun on 28 November, causing dead and wounded among Hezbollah fighters.
On 19 December 2015, eight people, including Samir Kuntar and other Hezbollah commanders, were killed by an explosion on the outskirts of Damascus. According to Syrian government sources, Kuntar was killed by a "terrorist rocket attack". Hezbollah claimed that the building was destroyed by an air-to-surface missile launched by Israeli Air Force jets.Roi Kais, Yoav Zitun, Liad Osmo, 'Hezbollah: Samir Kuntar, murderer of Haran family, killed in airstrike,' Ynet 20 December 2015. On 21 December, the Free Syrian Army released a video clip claiming responsibility for killing Kuntar.
Sources affiliated with the Syrian opposition reported that Israeli aircraft attacked seven positions belonging to Hezbollah in the Qalamoun Mountains area on 26 December 2015.
2016 Arab media reported that on 30 November 2016, Israeli jets allegedly struck a Syrian military compound in Damascus and a Hezbollah weapons convoy on the Damascus-Beirut highway.
On 7 December 2016, Syria and Hezbollah accused Israel of launching surface-to-surface missiles targeting the Mezzeh airbase near Damascus. Unnamed Syrian sources told the Lebanese newspaper Elnashra that the strikes targeted the airport's runway and operations command center, while another unnamed source said that the strikes targeted the regime's 4th division operations center at the airport. A Syrian opposition group said the target was a convoy of chemical weapons en route to Hezbollah.
2017 On 12 January 2017, Israeli warplanes were blamed for striking the Mezzeh Airbase in rural Damascus. According to an Al-Masdar field correspondent, the target was an ammunition depot, causing a massive explosion that could be heard from the Syrian capital.
On 22 February 2017, Israeli jets struck a Hezbollah weapons shipment near Damascus.Suspected Israeli strikes hit Damascus military airport Retrieved 29 June 2025
The March 2017 Israel–Syria incident took place on 17 March 2017, when several Syrian S-200 missiles were fired at Israeli Air Force jets, allegedly aiming to attack targets in Syria, near a military installation in Palmyra, and one missile was shot down by an "aerial defense system", likely an Arrow missile. The State of Israel has stated it was targeting weapons shipments headed toward anti-Israeli forces, specifically Hezbollah, located in Lebanon. Israel denied Syria's claim that one jet fighter was shot down and another damaged. Israel has not reported any pilots or aircraft missing in Syria, or anywhere else in the Middle East following the raids. Also, neither Syria nor Hezbollah has shown photos or video of downed Israeli aircraft or personnel. According to some sources, the incident was the first time Israeli officials confirmed an Israeli strike on Syrian territory during the Syrian Civil War, though IDF declined any comment concerning the location of targets.
On 27 April 2017, Syria's state-run SANA news agency said that there was an explosion felt at Damascus International Airport at 3:42 am. No casualties were reported. The blast was reportedly felt away. The Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz appeared to take responsibility for the explosion, telling Army Radio that "The incident in Syria corresponds completely with Israel's policy to act to prevent Iran's smuggling of advanced weapons via Syria to Hezbollah." Two rebel sources told Reuters that "five strikes hit an ammunition depot used by Iran-backed militias."