Showdown: 30 Israeli missiles strike Russian military base, munitions depot detonates in a massive explosion.
Image source:https://www.kyivpost.com/post/39987
According to Xinhua News Agency, Israel allegedly launched an attack in the early hours of October 3 in western Syria, destroying a weapons depot located right next to Russia's largest overseas military base—the Khmeimim Air Base. What’s surprising is that this weapons depot was situated very close to the base.
Reports indicate that the Israeli airstrike was fierce, with not only Syrian air defense forces activating their systems to intercept, but also Russian air defense units stationed in the Khmeimim Air Base area opening fire. The entire interception process lasted over 40 minutes, with continuous explosions and visible flames lighting up the night sky.
Since the Russian military also opened fire, this suggests that the situation may not be so simple. Indeed, Ukrainian sources claimed that Israel might have directly targeted a munitions depot inside the Russian base, launching at least 30 missiles, which led to a “huge explosion.” This implies that a chain reaction of explosions, possibly due to munitions detonating, could explain the continuous and prolonged sounds of explosions.
The Khmeimim Air Base has been used by Russian forces since its lease began in 2015, and it has now been nearly 10 years. Together with the naval base in Tartus, these facilities serve as Russian strongholds in Syria, creating a mutually supportive military presence. Ukrainian sources believe that while Israel occasionally conducts drone strikes, an event like this, involving the launch of dozens of missiles, is “unprecedented.”
If Israel indeed employed such a scale of missile force against a Russian base, it would signify a major confrontation with Moscow. Even if the target was just a weapons depot adjacent to the Russian base, it still shows a complete disregard for Russia. It's important to note that Syria is a key ally for Russia in the Middle East, and such actions by Israel could be viewed as a total violation of Moscow’s red lines. Kyiv even urged the U.S. and NATO to follow Israel's lead and not worry about Russia's red lines anymore.
Of course, Ukraine's claims also have issues, as Israel and Russia do not have significant disputes and even maintain some cooperation. In Syria, Russia has shown a degree of restraint and has had a tacit understanding with Israel. In 2018, following the downing of a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane due to Israeli actions, Russia decided to provide Syria with S-300 air defense missile systems, which briefly strained relations between Israel and Russia. However, they have not reached the point of a complete falling out.
Therefore, it is still unclear what specific target Israel was striking this time and whether it was genuinely aimed at Russia. Naturally, Ukraine hopes to see a complete breakdown in relations between Russia and the West, as this would allow Kyiv to “profit from the chaos.”