With Help from Hezbollah, Syrian Officers Arrested for ‘Collaborating with Israel’

This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the damage after an Israeli strike targeting the Aleppo International Airport in Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the damage after an Israeli strike targeting the Aleppo International Airport in Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
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With Help from Hezbollah, Syrian Officers Arrested for ‘Collaborating with Israel’

This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the damage after an Israeli strike targeting the Aleppo International Airport in Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the damage after an Israeli strike targeting the Aleppo International Airport in Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

The Syrian air and military intelligence kicked off a wide wave of arrests against regime officers in Damascus and Aleppo on charges of “collaborating with hostile parties”, revealed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The crackdown was launched in early September.

Sources said dozens of the detained were held on charges of collaborating with and sending coordinates over to Israel, which had recently struck airports in Aleppo and Damascus.

The detained include officers from the air defense and others in the military units that are active at the two airports. Others were held in Masyaf and Tartus.

The arrests were made with the help of the Lebanese Hezbollah party, whose intelligence agents are active in Syria.

Some of the detained were released after interrogation. Twenty-seven remain held.

Director of the Observatory, Rami Abdulrahman, said that out of the 27 detainees, eleven hold the rank of officer.

Sources added that civilians were also targeted in the crackdown.

The Observatory confirmed the arrest of 15 people in wake of an Israeli raid on an airport on August 31. Some have since been released.

Israel launched a missile attack on Tuesday night targeting Aleppo’s airport for the second time in a week and all flights were diverted to the capital Damascus.

The strike tore large craters in three spots on the facility’s runway, satellite images analyzed Thursday by The Associated Press show.

Israel also launched airstrikes at Aleppo airport last week, damaging its runway and, according to the Observatory, a warehouse that likely stored a shipment of Iranian rockets.

Last week’s strike tore a hole in the runway and also damaged a structure close to the military side of the airfield, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed.

On June 10, Israeli airstrikes that struck Damascus International Airport caused significant damage to infrastructure and runways and rendered the main runway unserviceable. The airport opened two weeks later following renovation work.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

Israel has acknowledged, however, that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.



Baghdad Urges Washington to Prevent ‘Imminent’ Israeli Strikes

Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)
Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)
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Baghdad Urges Washington to Prevent ‘Imminent’ Israeli Strikes

Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)
Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani on Thursday called on major powers to “exert greater efforts to end the war in Palestine and Lebanon.” Meanwhile, an Iraqi government official urged the United States to “prevent any attacks on the country,” referring to potential Israeli strikes.
During a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Al-Sudani stressed the importance of ensuring the conflict does not escalate “to a level that threatens regional and global stability.”
The Iraqi prime minister’s appeal comes amid reports suggesting that Israel may launch strikes on Iraq in retaliation for attacks by Iraqi armed factions targeting Israeli positions.
The Iraqi government is striving to assert its exclusive authority over weapons and war-related decisions. However, armed factions affiliated with the Axis of Resistance openly claim responsibility for near-daily rocket attacks on Israel. This has provided Israel with a justification for potentially targeting Iraqi territory, especially after it filed a complaint with the UN Security Council against six Iraqi factions and held Baghdad responsible for the attacks.
These factions have also openly declared their involvement in the ongoing conflict with Israel in Lebanon and Gaza. The Iraqi government has been unable to take decisive action to halt the activities of these factions, which many believe could soon expose Iraq to an Israeli strike.
According to media reports, Washington has warned Baghdad that Israeli airstrikes on Iraq are “imminent” unless the Iraqi government curtails attacks by Iranian-backed factions on Israel. The Times of Israel cited sources indicating that the United States has “exhausted all means of pressure on Israel” and urged Iraq to act swiftly to prevent such attacks.
Despite repeated assurances from the Iraqi government—including its recent adoption of 12 measures by the National Security Council to counter Israeli threats and complaints—the situation remains tense. These measures include monitoring Iraq’s western borders, preventing factions from launching attacks, and maintaining Iraq’s neutrality in the ongoing conflict.
On Wednesday, Abu Hussein Al-Hamidawi, Secretary-General of Kata’ib Hezbollah, made a striking statement on the role of resistance factions in the war and their commitment to the Unity of Fronts doctrine frequently mentioned by Axis of Resistance groups.
In an interview published by the faction’s media arm, Al-Hamidawi said: “The continuity of the Unity of Fronts concept depends on what the Lebanese Hezbollah decides.”
Al-Hamidawi also emphasized that resistance factions are constantly coordinating internally and with external partners such as Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Palestinian resistance leaders.
“We aim to ensure that the Palestinian people are not left alone and that the Unity of Fronts remains intact,” he stated.
Fadi Al-Shammari, a political advisor to Sudani, reiterated that Israel’s threats “are not new,” citing the recent complaint filed by Israel with the UN Security Council as part of its pattern of issuing threats.
In media statements, Al-Shammari reaffirmed the Iraqi government’s long-standing position: “The decision of war and peace lies solely with the Iraqi government.”
He noted that the factions’ attacks are being launched from areas outside Iraq’s borders, specifically from Syria. However, he stressed that the Iraqi government is working through its security and military agencies to prevent Iraq from becoming a battlefield for external or internal parties.
Al-Shammari also called on the United States to fulfill its responsibilities under the Strategic Framework Agreement and security pact with Iraq, emphasizing the need to deter and respond to any external attacks that threaten Iraq’s internal security.