Sites in Damascus and Aleppo have reportedly been damaged in a “simultaneous strike” by the Israeli military
FILE PHOTO: The Aleppo International Airport is seen in Aleppo, Syria, on February 19,2020. © Global Look Press
International airports in the Syrian capital of Damascus and another major city, Aleppo, have been hit in a “simultaneous” missile strike by Israel, the state SANA news agency reported on Thursday, citing a source within the Syrian military. The incident comes amid a major flareup of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The airports were struck at around 2pm local time, a source told SANA, adding that an attack on each of the two airports involved several missiles that damaged their landing strips and forced both facilities to close.
There have been no reports about casualties linked to the attacks and West Jerusalem has not commented on the incident, which happened as Syrian President Bashar Assad discussed the situation in Gaza with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. The two leaders reaffirmed their support for Palestinians and what they called legitimate Palestinian resistance aimed at restoring their rights. Assad also called on the Israeli air raids on Gaza “targeting women and children” to stop.
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Recent days have seen an exchange of fire between Israel and Syria. The Israeli military fired artillery and mortar shells towards Syrian territory on Tuesday, following shelling targeting Israel’s border regions. Reuters reported at the time that a Palestinian faction in southern Syria had fired three rockets at Israel. The Israeli military said that they were targeting the alleged missile launch sites with return fire.
The developments came amid a major conflict between Israel and the Gaza-based Hamas militant group, which broke out after a massive Hamas attack on Israel. The militants fired thousands of rockets at Israeli territory and briefly overran Israeli settlements near Gaza over the weekend. The attack claimed the lives of more than 1,300 Israelis, mostly civilians, according to officials.
West Jerusalem responded with a massive bombing campaign against Gaza, along with a “total blockade” of the Palestinian enclave that cuts off any water, electricity, or fuel until Hamas frees Israeli hostages, the nation’s energy minister, Israel Katz, said on Thursday. The death toll in Gaza linked to the Israeli air raids currently stands at 1,200, local officials have reported.
