Photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA shows a damage from an alleged Israeli airstrike in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023. (SANA via AP)
Runways at airports in Damascus and Aleppo bombed – just before scheduled landing of Iran’s foreign minister.
By World Israel News Staff
Explosions were reported Thursday afternoon at two different airports in Syria.
According to initial reports, the runways at Aleppo International Airport and Damascus International Airport were bombed – apparently by Israeli fighter jets.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based anti-Assad organization, reported that both airports have been knocked out of commission by the airstrikes.
The airstrikes occurred at approximately 2:00 p.m. Thursday, just ahead of the scheduled arrival of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Syria.
Amir-Abdollahian is slated to visit Lebanon via Syria, to discuss the implications of Hamas’ recent invasion of Israel with Iran’s regional allies.
According to flight tracking data, however, shortly after the airstrikes, Amir-Abdollahian’s plane turned back to Iran.
Sham FM, a mouthpiece of the Assad regime, claimed that Syria’s air defense network had “confronted” Israeli warplanes during the airstrike, and said that there were no casualties, without addressing damage to either of the two airports.
“There were no casualties as a result of the Israeli aggression that targeted Aleppo International Airport.”
This is not the first time Israel’s air force has bombed Syrian airports.
In June 2022, Damascus International Airport was shuttered after an Israeli airstrike damaged the sole runway.
Five Syrian soldiers and two pro-Iranian militia members were killed in an airstrike on the Damascus airport in September of last year, while four were killed in another Israeli strike on the airport this January.
September’s airstrike forced the closure of the airport for several days, while the January’s only led to a several-hour disruption of airport operations.
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