Israel publishes satellite photos of Assad’s palace in Damascus

Satellite pictures showing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s presidential palace in Damascus were published by the Israeli Defense Ministry on Monday.

The footage, which was posted on the ministry’s official Twitter account, also showed the Damascus Airport and an unspecified regime military base.

According to a statement by the ministry, the footage was taken by a reconnaissance satellite called “Ofek 11,” and marked the 30th anniversary of the launch of Israel’s first satellite “Ofek-1.”

Israeli media reports said the publication of the images “could be seen as both a show of strength and a tacit threat to Syria.”

Over the past 18 months alone, Israeli fighter jets struck 200 Iranian targets in Syria, according to an anonymous source in the Israeli army.