Israel bombs hit Damascus, Aleppo airports, says Syria
Damascus: Israeli forces have carried out "air aggression" on runways on Syria's two main international airports of Damascus and Aleppo, putting them out of action, Syrian state media said on Friday.
Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) cited a military source to report that the missile strikes happened "simultaneously" at 13:50 (local time), causing material damage to the airstrips, which resulted in them being "out of service."
"The Israeli latest aggression comes in the framework of the occupation authorities' continued policy, based on aggression and violation of the international law and the UN convention," Syrian foriegn Ministry said in a statement as cited by its state media agency.
Israel has so far not commented on the strikes on the Syrian airports.
Al Jazeera publication quoted Syrian television channel Sham FM as stating that Syrian air defences were activated in response to the attacks on both airports.
Damascus and Aleppo airports not only handle civil aviation but also host military bases.
Israel has in the past carried out strikes on targets in Syria, including its airports as part of operations believed to be aimed at disrupting Iranian supply lines, Al Jazeera reported.
The attacks on the two Syrian airports come ahead of a planned visit by Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, who on Thursday departed from Tehran for Baghdad and is scheduled to proceed to Syria and Lebanon later.
Before his departure, Amirabdollahian addressed reporters in Tehran, stating that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is the primary source of crises in West Asia, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.
The Iranian minister, on his arrival in Beirut, said if the Israeli bombardment of Gaza continues, the war may open on "other fronts". He said the continuation of "crimes against Palestinians" will receive a response from "the rest of the Axis" and Israel will be responsible for the consequences, Al Jazeera reported.
Since the start of the war from October 7 when Hamas terrorists launched an attack in Israel an estimated 1,300 people in Israel and over 1,500 Palestinians have been killed.
