DAMASCUS (AP) — An Israeli airstrike hit Aleppo International Airport in northern Syria on Tuesday morning, knocking it out of service, according to Syrian state media. All flights have been diverted to two other airports in the war-torn country, according to reports.
Missiles launched by Israeli warplanes flying over the Mediterranean Sea hit Aleppo International Airport, the official SANA news agency reported. The attack “caused material damage to the airport and put it out of service”.
Israeli authorities had no immediate comment. It was unclear if there were any casualties.
The Syrian Transport Ministry said all flights to Aleppo would land in the capital Damascus or at the international airport in the coastal province of Latakia.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry called the Israeli attack a ‘double crime’, as it was committed against a civilian airport and one of the main entry routes for aid in the quake-affected areas of last month.
Since the February 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria that killed more than 50,000 people, including 6,000 in Syria, dozens of flights aided by different countries have landed at Aleppo airport.
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes against targets in government-held areas in Syria, including attacks on airports in Damascus and Aleppo, but rarely acknowledges or comments on the operations.
Israel has attacked airports and seaports in areas controlled by Damascus in an apparent attempt to prevent arms shipments from Iran from reaching Tehran-backed armed groups such as the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Thousands of Iranian-backed fighters from across the region have joined the 12-year conflict and helped tip the balance in favor of President Bashar Assad’s forces.
Aleppo, which suffered massive destruction in the Syrian civil war, suffered heavy damage again in the deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria last month.
At least five people were killed and 15 injured in Israeli airstrikes on residential areas of Damascus on February 19.
On January 2, the Syrian army said the Israeli army had fired missiles at Damascus International Airport, knocking it out of action and killing two soldiers. The attack came amid fears in Israel that the airport was being used to smuggle Iranian weapons into the country.
Aleppo airport had already suffered Israeli attacks in September that put it out of service for days.