Syria says that Israel attacked the Damascus international airport overnight, shutting it down for long hours.
The airport resumed limited operations after partly repairing one runway damaged in the strike. However, another runway remains out of service after sustaining heavy damage, Kan News reported.
The strike apparently followed the arrival of Iranian planes the day before.
This was the third time in recent months that a reported Israeli strike disrupted flights at Syrian airports, journalist Roi Kais said. He noted that the Syrian regime did not retaliate for the attacks despite their serious impact.
Arab sources reported that several missiles targeted Iranian and Hezbollah assets and killed at least two soldiers. Unnamed intelligence officials told Reuters that a Quds Force outpost near the airport was hit.
US fighter jets land in Israel
The latest strike signals the IDF’s increasingly low tolerance for Iranian arms shipments. Israel previous threatened to shut down Syrian airports to stop weapons from flowing in.
Future attacks may cause heavier damage to airport facilities and systems to severely disrupt arms smuggling flights. Notably, Israel carried out dozens of airstrikes in Syria in 2022 by utilizing advanced capabilities and precise intelligence.
Meanwhile, six American F-15 fighter jets just landed in Israel for joint training, the IDF said. On the menu: Practicing long-range strikes with the IDF’s F-35 jets and surveillance aircraft.
At this time, the Israeli and US Air Forces are increasingly holding drills to enhance joint strike capabilities. Israeli defense officials said earlier that the US will support an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites if Jerusalem decides to strike.
