An Israeli airstrike targeted the airport of the government-held Syrian city of Aleppo, according to a war monitor, days after a similar strike struck the airports of Aleppo and Damascus.
“Aleppo airport was targeted by an Israeli airstrike emanating from the sea,” Rami Abdel Rahman, the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported to AFP.
The Israeli military conducted strikes on Thursday, rendering inoperable the two primary airports of Syria, Aleppo and Damascus, for the first time since a Hamas assault on Israel over the weekend sparked intense combat.
The airport was once again rendered inoperable by the strikes on Saturday, “hours after it had been reinstated,” according to the British-based monitor with extensive sources inside Syria.
Returning to Aleppo, the northern city of Damascus, and airports under the government’s jurisdiction of war-torn Syria, Israeli airstrikes have consistently resulted in flight disruptions at these locations.
Over ten years of conflict in Syria, Israel has conducted countless airstrikes against its northern neighbor, targeting Syrian army positions, Hezbollah fighters supported by Iran, and Lebanese forces.
While Israel seldom provides detailed commentary on specific airstrikes it executes against Syria, it has maintained a steadfast stance against any expansion of Iranian influence in the region, a country it adamantly opposes and which provides support to Assad’s regime.
Iran, which supports Hamas, lauded the group’s attack on Israel on Saturday despite maintaining its denial of involvement in the conflict.
The strikes were the second of their kind against Syrian airports since the
unexpected attack from Gaza by Hamas on October 7 sparked a conflict in Israel that has claimed the lives of over 1,300 Israeli citizens.
Health officials in Gaza reported that over 2,200 individuals had perished. Similar to the situation on the Israeli side, most of them were civilians.