Status: 07.03.2023 7:30 a.m
According to a state media report, Aleppo Airport is at a standstill. The reason for this is said to be an Israeli air strike. Several countries had used the airport to deliver aid to earthquake victims.
An Israeli airstrike on Aleppo International Airport in Syria has damaged the runway, according to a media report. The airport is out of service, the state news agency Sana reported, citing a source from the ranks of the Syrian military.
At 2:07 a.m. (local time), Syrian air defense intercepted missiles fired from the Mediterranean Sea, west of the coastal city of Latakia.
Aleppo, which was badly damaged in Syria’s civil war, was also severely damaged by last month’s deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake. A number of countries have since sent aid supplies to the city’s airport.
Iran’s influence worries Israel
Israel is on high alert over increased Iranian influence in Syria. Alongside Russia, Iran is the most important ally of the Syrian leadership, which has been trying to crush an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad for more than eight years. Israel wants to prevent Iran from establishing a permanent military presence in Syria.
Over the past year, Israel has stepped up its attacks on Syrian airports to disrupt Tehran’s increasing use of air routes to ship arms to allies in Syria and Lebanon.