Syria's two largest airports paralyzed by Israeli missiles

Israeli airstrikes on Syria's largest international airports, Damascus and Aleppo, damaged runways and shut down both sites.

"Israel carried out missile strikes on Damascus and Aleppo international airports at 5:25 a.m., killing one civilian employee and injuring another. The runways were damaged, forcing both airports to close," Syrian state news agency SANA said today.

Missile trails in the sky over Damascus during an Israeli airstrike in 2020. Photo: Reuters

An unnamed Syrian military source said Israeli aircraft fired missiles from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea and the Golan Heights. The Syrian Transport Ministry later announced that all flights to the two locations would be diverted to Latakia International Airport.

This is the second time that Damascus and Aleppo airports, Syria’s largest civilian aviation facilities, have been attacked simultaneously since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted earlier this month. The Israeli military has previously targeted individual targets, rather than simultaneously striking Syrian airports.

Since the outbreak of hostilities in Syria in 2011, Israel has repeatedly struck targets in its northern neighbor, including positions of the Syrian government army as well as Hezbollah and Iranian-backed militia groups.

Israel has stepped up its air campaign targeting Damascus International Airport and other civilian aviation infrastructure in Syria since 2022, aiming to disrupt the flow of weapons from Iran to Syria and Lebanon.

Location of the capital Damascus and major cities of Syria. Graphic: AP

Israel rarely comments on its air strikes, but admits to carrying out hundreds of strikes in Syria. Israeli officials say the air campaign is necessary to prevent Iran, which Israel considers its "archenemy", from gaining a strategic foothold in Syria.

Vu Anh (According to AFP )

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/hai-san-bay-lon-nhat-syria-te-liet-vi-trung-ten-lua-israel-4667699.html