Syria says IAF strikes briefly put Damascus airport out of service, kill 2 soldiers - The Times of Israel

The Israeli airforce carried retired a onslaught connected Sunday nighttime targeting Damascus International Airport that enactment it retired of work temporarily, killed 2 soldiers and wounded 2 others, Syria’s authorities quality bureau SANA reported.

A subject root cited by SANA said that astir 2 a.m., Israel carried retired an aerial onslaught with “barrages of missiles, targeting Damascus International Airport and its surroundings.”

The onslaught caused “the decease of 2 soldiers… putting Damascus International Airport retired of service,” it said.

According to an authoritative announcement sent by Syrian aviation authorities, some runways astatine Damascus airdrome were closed pursuing the strike.

But successful a aboriginal statement, the Syrian proscription ministry said the airdrome would re-open astatine 9:00 a.m., aft authorities removed “damage caused by the Israeli aggression” and conducted repairs to damaged sites.

There was nary remark from the Israel Defense Forces, which does not mostly corroborate specified raids connected an idiosyncratic basis.

Last June airstrikes attributed to Israel struck Damascus International Airport, causing important harm and rendering the main runway unserviceable. The airdrome opened 2 weeks aboriginal pursuing repairs.

Strikes astatine the airdrome were reported successful erstwhile years arsenic well.

Generally, comparatively ample weapons are thought to beryllium smuggled via Syria connected Iranian cargo airlines, which often onshore astatine Damascus International and the Tiyas, oregon T-4, airbase, extracurricular of the cardinal Syrian metropolis of Palmyra.

The weaponry is past believed to beryllium stored successful warehouses successful the country earlier being trucked to Lebanon.

Israel successful caller months has besides targeted the Aleppo International Airport respective times, according to Syria.

As a rule, Israel’s subject does not remark connected circumstantial strikes successful Syria, but has admitted to conducting hundreds of sorties against Iran-backed groups attempting to summation a foothold successful the country.

The IDF says it besides attacks arms shipments believed to beryllium bound for those groups, main among them Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Additionally, airstrikes attributed to Israel person repeatedly targeted Syrian aerial defence systems.

The past strikes successful Syria attributed to Israel were connected December 19 and 20, erstwhile a concealed Hezbollah drone tract adjacent the northwestern Syrian metropolis of Homs was reportedly targeted, and respective different sites successful the Damascus country were hit.

Times of Israel unit contributed to this report.