For years now, tensions have been high between Syria and Israel, and the pair have a history of conflict. Up until 2017, however, Israel had been officially neutral towards the Syrian civil war - but that all changed seven months ago when the nation made it clear that they were opposed to Assad's regime.
Now, those tensions seem to have reached an all-time high, after Israel was blamed for a deadly attack on a Syrian military airport in the early hours of this morning.
The USA was originally blamed for the missile strikes, but after Pentagon spokesman Christopher Sherwood said in a statement that the "Department of Defense is not conducting air strikes in Syria", Russia came forward to say that two Israeli planes had fired eight missiles at the Syrian base.
This hostility comes just days after an alleged chemical attack on a Syrian rebel-held town which urged Donald Trump to issue a harsh warning on Twitter.
On the social media platform, Trump wrote:
"Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!"
He then went on to point the finger at his predecessor, Barack Obama, for not doing enough about the Syria conflict while he was in office.
"If President Obama had crossed his stated Red Line In The Sand, the Syrian disaster would have ended long ago," he said. "Animal Assad would have been history!"
In the wake of this latest attack from Israel, some are beginning to question whether the earlier attack on Saturday was also their doing. However, as the chemical attacks could not be independently verified, identifying a culprit has proven difficult.
With regards to this morning's attack, Russia's Ministry of Defense released a statement saying that "two F-15 aircraft of the Israeli Air Force, without entering Syrian airspace, struck eight controlled missiles at the airfield." It also claimed that the missiles were fired from Lebanese airspace, and that five of the eight missiles were destroyed by Syrian defenses before hitting their target.
As of yet, it is unclear if or when the US will retaliate to either of the attacks.
"We continue to closely watch the situation and support the ongoing diplomatic efforts to hold those who use chemical weapons, in Syria and otherwise, accountable," The Pentagon said.
Israel had attacked the military base twice in the past, previously destroying an Iranian drone control center and damaging communication systems. In February this year, 14 people were killed by strikes at the base - many of whom were of Iranian origin.
The death toll for the latest strike is not yet known, nor is the true extent of the damage from Saturday's attack.
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