Syrian Defense Ministry Dismisses Reports of Warplane Operations Following Assad's Fall

Syria's Defense Ministry has moved to quash widespread reports suggesting the country's military has resumed air operations, marking what some observers claimed would be the first such activity since Bashar al-Assad's regime collapsed last December.

A ministry source speaking to the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan characterized the circulating accounts as "incorrect," emphasizing that the Air Force currently lacks the operational capacity to fly missions.

The denial addresses video footage that has circulated across media platforms and social networks, purporting to show two Syrian MiG-29 fighters traversing Syrian airspace. Many observers interpreted these clips as evidence of the military's renewed capability following months of inactivity under the new government.

The dispute over the authenticity of these videos emerges amid the broader fallout from an extensive Israeli military campaign initiated immediately after Assad's downfall. Israel has declared that it successfully dismantled the majority of Syria's military infrastructure through an operation designated "Arrow of Bashan."

According to Israeli statements, the military operation targeted and destroyed Syrian aircraft, helicopters, armored vehicles, naval vessels, and air defense installations. These strikes accompanied ground incursions into strategically significant areas, including Mount Hermon and regions in southern Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced during this period that the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two nations had effectively dissolved.

Israeli military assessments indicate that the strikes rendered Syria's air force and integrated air defense network largely inoperative, with extensive damage to strategic surface-to-air missile systems and fighter and bomber squadrons stationed across multiple military facilities.

Historical records show that Syria's military aviation inventory prior to 2011 encompassed approximately 450 combat and transport aircraft, alongside several hundred additional helicopters and reconnaissance platforms, complemented by an extensive network of air defense systems.