Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that Israeli warplanes intercepted Iranian aircraft last year that were attempting to send troops to Syria to support Bashar al-Assad before his overthrow in December 2024.

Axar.az, citing Times of Israel, reports that speaking at a conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said Iran tried to send “one or two airborne divisions” to help Assad, but Israeli F-16s forced the planes to turn back.

Israel had been monitoring Iranian troop movements and warned against weapon smuggling to Hezbollah.

Assad’s fall followed a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, after which Hezbollah withdrew from Syria, weakening Assad’s defenses.

Although Assad is gone, Israel remains wary of Syria’s new Islamist government and maintains a military presence in the UN buffer zone on the Golan Heights.