This just coming in. Massive explosions are being heard from an Iranian weapons store at Jabal Ezzan / Azan Mount south of Aleppo, immediately after reports of unknown warplanes flying overhead. The Jerusalem Post is speculating that they’re Israeli jets, but the facts are not known right now. Casualties are reported.
This is said to be the largest Iranian weapons store in Syria.
16:11 EST: Al-Arabiya is citing many different sources confirming the explosion, but Hezbollah is denying it, calling it zionist propaganda.
16:16 EST: Now everybody is reporting on the blasts, but they’re all citing the same original sources. Hoping to find some pictures or new sources soon.
16:41 EST: No new updates in half an hour; everyone’s just reporting on what’s already been reported.
Israel attacking Iranian weapons depots would be par for the course and nothing surprising in this conflict; they do this frequently. That said, this would be the furthest north / furthest inland attack that they’ve ever done, and the timing makes the tension higher. US attacks on Syrian air defense systems could potentially have made their work in penetrating Syrian airspace easier.
Still, I’d like more clarity on this.
17:45 EST: The Jerusalem Post updated their article to note the conflicting claims, and expanded on Hezbollah’s counterclaim:
Hezbollah media sources denied the reports and said that the explosions at the site resulted from explosives detonating within the warehouse.
So even Hezbollah is confirming the explosions, but saying that they’re not the result of a bombing from the planes reported earlier, but… something else?