Asharq Al-Awsat Reports Aftermath of Israeli Airstrikes on Qamishli’s ‘54th Brigade’

Destroyed vehicles at the 54th Brigade in Syria’s Qamishli after Israeli airstrikes targeted it. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Destroyed vehicles at the 54th Brigade in Syria’s Qamishli after Israeli airstrikes targeted it. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
20

Asharq Al-Awsat Reports Aftermath of Israeli Airstrikes on Qamishli’s ‘54th Brigade’

Destroyed vehicles at the 54th Brigade in Syria’s Qamishli after Israeli airstrikes targeted it. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Destroyed vehicles at the 54th Brigade in Syria’s Qamishli after Israeli airstrikes targeted it. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

After repeated Israeli airstrikes on the former Syrian Army's “54th Brigade” in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, and its civilian airport, Asharq Al-Awsat visited the site.
The team saw the significant damage caused by explosions of weapons and ammunition, with shrapnel hitting nearby areas. The attack resulted in one civilian death and another serious injury, according to medical sources.
The Asharq Al-Awsat team toured the base, located on the southern edge of Qamishli. Once the largest Syrian Army base in the region, it has become a key transit point for Iranian militia fighters traveling to Deir Ezzor, passing through areas once controlled by Syrian forces.
Inside the compound, dozens of military vehicles, tanks, and equipment were left behind, marking the bloody era of the Assad regime.
Torn photos of President Bashar al-Assad, his father Hafez, and his late brother Bassel were found scattered across abandoned buildings, with walls still displaying slogans praising the Assad family.
The military base, along with others in Hasakah province, remained under Syrian Army control until the fall of the Assad regime last Sunday. Abandoned vehicles and tanks were damaged by airstrikes, while ammunition and weapons in large trucks set for smuggling were burned.
Residents nearby said Russian forces had inspected the base on Saturday before the regime’s fall, planning to remove it. Others confirmed that the US military had warned the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of an imminent Israeli airstrike.
An anonymous military source said the 54th Brigade housed air defense systems, ammunition, and rocket launchers. Syrian troops abandoned the base, leaving behind Russian-made vehicles, tanks, and armored carriers. Israeli warplanes then hit the base, destroying the weapons.
Witnesses in Qamishli described hearing explosions late Monday night for over two hours, with thick smoke and flames rising above the base and the airport.
Medical sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that a 27-year-old man was killed by shrapnel, and another person was seriously injured when the shrapnel hit homes in Qamishli during explosions at the ammunition storage at the military base.
The injured person underwent surgery to remove a shard from his chest and remains in critical condition.
A journalist from the Corniche neighborhood south of Qamishli described how shrapnel hit her home, causing part of the roof to collapse from the Israeli airstrike.
She told Asharq Al-Awsat, “We were terrified, hearing explosions around us. We never expected a large shard to hit the upper floor, puncturing the guest room wall. Fortunately, no one was inside.”
The airstrikes caused panic, and many residents fled from neighborhoods near the airport and military base to safer areas. Videos shared by local activists on social media showed the intensity of the attack, with thick smoke and flames rising from the base.



‘No One Dares’ … First Palestinian Response to Israeli Plan to Separate Hebron from PA

Israeli security forces stand guard as Israeli settlers tour in the Palestinian side of the old city and market of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on July 5, 2025. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
Israeli security forces stand guard as Israeli settlers tour in the Palestinian side of the old city and market of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on July 5, 2025. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
TT
20

‘No One Dares’ … First Palestinian Response to Israeli Plan to Separate Hebron from PA

Israeli security forces stand guard as Israeli settlers tour in the Palestinian side of the old city and market of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on July 5, 2025. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
Israeli security forces stand guard as Israeli settlers tour in the Palestinian side of the old city and market of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on July 5, 2025. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

A report published by The Wall Street Journal, and promoted by Israeli media on Sunday, has renewed focus on an Israeli plan dating back more than 60 years aimed at pushing for the creation of “emirates” or entities independent from the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The report focused on the Palestinian city of Hebron, and cited what it claimed were “21 tribal elders from Hebron,” who allegedly sent a letter in Hebrew to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for negotiations with them to join the Abraham Accords and consequently abandon the “two-state solution,” which Palestinians rely on to establish their state.

However, a Palestinian security source, in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, said: “What is happening is yet another Israeli attempt to weaken the Palestinian Authority.”

“This is a failed plan,” he said: “No one here would dare take this step and say: I am the spy... I am the alternative to the Authority ... Those who tried that are known and represent no one.”

Reportedly, the elders included a detailed proposed timetable for talks to join the Abraham Accords and for “a fair and decent arrangement that would replace the Oslo Accords, which only brought damage, death, economic disaster and destruction.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, the initiative was helmed by Wadee al-Jaabari, who local city residents and its political leadership claim is unknown to them, and backed by "four other leading Hebron sheikhs.”

Palestinian city residents, including Jaabari's extended family members, condemned the proposal, saying that its authors do not represent them.

Israeli sources said that Economy Minister Nir Barkat stands behind the letter, which was allegedly sent to him. Barkat met at his home with al-Jaabari and the other sheikhs; he has held more than 12 meetings with them since February, The Wall Street Journal said. They asked him to forward the letter to Netanyahu and are now waiting for his response.

The sheikhs reportedly proposed that Israel grant work permits to 1,000 workers from Hebron on a trial basis, and then extend this to another 5,000.

According to Maariv newspaper, the Israeli government is “seeking to promote this plan to destroy the Palestinian Authority and the establishment of a Palestinian state.”