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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)
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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.

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Mikati Instructs Lebanon’s Institutions to Cooperate with HTS

 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).
 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).
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Mikati Instructs Lebanon’s Institutions to Cooperate with HTS

 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).
 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).

Communication channels have been opened between the Lebanese state and the Syrian Interim Government. Diplomats conveyed a message from HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to Lebanese officials, stating that the new Syrian government has no issues with the Lebanese state.
HTS said that its problem lingers with Hezbollah, which supported the Assad regime in its attacks on the Syrian people, occupied Syrian territories, and displaced its residents.
A source close to caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati indicated that the prime minister received the Syrian message “very positively” and began working toward establishing stable relations with Syria. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the source disclosed that Mikati had instructed all official institutions to collaborate with HTS, which now oversees security in Syrian territories, and to coordinate on mutual security matters between the two nations.
The first tangible result of this cooperation was a meeting held on Wednesday between a delegation from HTS and the Lebanese General Security agency at the latter’s office near the Masnaa border crossing in the Bekaa Valley. The talks resulted in agreements on coordination frameworks to ensure security on both sides of the border.
The source explained that Mikati’s primary focus is on organizing and securing the borders. Recently, he received reports from the Lebanese Army indicating that Syrian authorities had closed 80% of the illegal crossings previously used by smugglers. The source described this as a reassuring development.
In a sign of reconciliation, the source close to Mikati noted that Turkish and Qatari envoys delivered a message confirming that the new Syrian government does not intend to revisit the conflicts of the Syrian war or seek revenge against Bashar al-Assad’s allies, including Hezbollah. The message stressed that Syria has no plans to retaliate against Hezbollah for its actions during the war, such as detaining Syrian opposition figures in Lebanon, provided that Hezbollah withdraws from Syria and ceases all military and security activities there.
Further reflecting this shift, a security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that HTS had previously facilitated the safe transfer of dozens of Hezbollah fighters and their families from Syria to Lebanon without harming or targeting them.
Despite these developments, there has yet to be any official communication between the Lebanese government and Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the transitional leader of Syria, even though two weeks have passed since the fall of the Assad regime.
Former Lebanese minister Rashid Derbas commented that Mikati had recently made an exploratory visit to Ankara to understand how the situation in Syria is unfolding. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Derbas stated that the armed factions now responsible for security in Syria face a major test of their ability to maintain stability until a new political authority is established through free and fair elections reflecting the will of the Syrian people. He noted that the Syrian Army no longer has a presence on the ground.
Derbas added that while Syrian statements about relations with Lebanon have been positive, Lebanon must remain cautious and alert to the possibility of chaos erupting in Syria and spilling over into its borders.