(Beirut) The airports of Damascus and Aleppo are still out of service since Israeli strikes which simultaneously targeted them last month, the longest closure since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday. Man (OSDH).
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian territory since 2011. These strikes targeted positions of the Syrian army and groups affiliated with Tehran, such as Lebanese Hezbollah, two sites of which were targeted on Wednesday, according to the OSDH.
Flights to and from Damascus Airport, Syria’s largest and main airport, have been halted since October 22 due to Israeli strikes on its main runways. Similar strikes on the same day led to the shutdown of Aleppo airport, the country’s second largest.
The two airports remain closed despite the end of repair work, OSDH director Rami Abdel Rahmane told AFP.
If since the start of the war in Syria, Israel has targeted Damascus airport several times, this is the first time it has closed for a month, he stressed.
AFP was unable to obtain comment from Syrian authorities, who have not yet announced the reasons for extending the closures.
Flights are often diverted to Aleppo airport in the north of the country. But with that also out of service, the Transport Ministry announced that all flights would be diverted to the airport in the coastal city of Latakia, which is smaller and less equipped.
The presence of a Russian military base in Latakia airport protects it from Israeli bombings, according to the OSDH.
Hezbollah targeted
Travelers must travel to Latakia by land (about 350 km from Damascus) to fly to limited destinations including Russia, Iran and Iraq, adding to time and costs.
Syrians arriving from European countries and the United States usually pass through Beirut and Amman airports, due to the lack of direct flights to Syria.
Israel has intensified its attacks on Syrian territory since the start of the war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip on October 7.
On Wednesday, the OSDH reported Israeli airstrikes near Damascus targeting in the morning a center of Hezbollah supported by Iran, sworn enemies of Israel. Official media did not report the strikes.
The Observatory also reports an Israeli bombardment carried out in the afternoon against a Hezbollah target also near Damascus, without causing any casualties for the time being.
Official media also report this strike.
“Around 3:10 p.m. (7:10 a.m. Eastern Time) this afternoon, the Zionist enemy carried out an air attack with two missiles… targeting certain positions near the city of Damascus,” a military source said Syrian in a press release relayed by the official media.
“Our air defense forces responded to the aggression and shot down one of the missiles,” added the source, referring to “material damage”.
Israel rarely comments on its attacks in Syria, but says it wants to prevent Iran from establishing itself on its doorstep.