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Israeli Strikes on Tartus Cause Earthquake-Level Explosions, Prompting Russian Naval Base Evacuation

Dec 15, 2024, 10:53 PM

The Israeli Air Force conducted a series of airstrikes in Syria's coastal Tartus region, targeting military sites including air defense units and surface-to-surface missile depots. The strikes, described as the heaviest in the area since 2012, resulted in colossal explosions that registered as a magnitude 3.0 earthquake on seismic sensors. The attacks took place in the context of significant political changes in Syria, following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Russia, a key ally of Assad, has begun evacuating some of its diplomatic staff from Syria and has abandoned its naval base in Tartus, raising questions about the future of Russian military assets in the country, including the Hmeimim military airfield. Secondary explosions indicated the presence of large ammunition depots.