On Saturday, December 7, as rebel groups were re-entering Damascus and the fall of the Assad regime was a matter of hours away, Israel unleashed Operation Bashan Arrow against Syria – one of the largest-scale attacks in the Israeli air force's history. It launched no fewer than 350 aircraft into Syrian territory, hitting some 320 targets in 48 hours.

According to the Israeli General Staff, this first wave of bombardments destroyed around 80% of the Syrian army's capabilities: anti-aircraft batteries, airfields and weapons production sites in Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia and Palmyra. The Syrian air defense, considered one of the most powerful in the Middle East, was obliterated: 90% of identified surface-to-air missile batteries were destroyed. Most of these systems were old, but the move gives Israel complete air supremacy, said Michael Horowitz, an analyst working for Le Beck, a Middle East think tank. He said this could facilitate Israel strikes against Iran.

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