2 yıl önce

Israeli air strike on Syria reportedly damages Aleppo airport

Syrian air defences intercepted missiles launched from the Mediterranean Sea, west of the coastal city of Latakia.

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Since the Türkiye centred February 6 earthquakes that also affected northern Syria, aid shipments have been arriving in quake-hit Aleppo through the city's airport.

An Israeli air strike on Syria's Aleppo International Airport has damaged its runway and taken the airport out of service.

Israel “carried out an air attack from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea, west of Latakia, targeting Aleppo International Airport,” early on Tuesday, state news agency SANA reported citing a military source.

The strike “caused material damage” to the airport and it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.

There was no comment from Israeli officials.

Last year, Israel intensified strikes on Syrian airports to disrupt Tehran's increasing use of aerial supply lines to deliver arms to allies in Syria and Lebanon, including Hezbollah.

Syria news this morning: Israel struck Aleppo airport before dawn, causing significant damage that halted flights to and from Syria's war & quake-battered 2nd city, via @AFP.

The airport had been a major conduit for aid flights since the quake & they too were brought to a stop.
— Aya Iskandarani (@Aya_Isk) March 7, 2023

A frequent practice

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations.

Israel has acknowledged, however, that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian regime leader Bashar al Assad’s forces.

Aleppo, which suffered widespread destruction in Syria's civil war, was again heavily damaged in the deadly 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes that rocked southern Türkiye and northern Syria last month.

A number of countries have since sent aid shipments to Aleppo's airport.

On February 19, Israeli airstrikes targeted residential areas in Syria’s capital, Damascus, killing at least five people and wounding 15, according to Syrian state news.

On January 2, the Syrian regime army said Israel’s military fired missiles toward the capital’s international airport, putting it out of service and killing two soldiers.

That attack came amid Israeli fears the Damascus airport was being used to funnel Iranian weaponry into the country.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies