Syria says Aleppo Airport closed after Israel-linked attack

Country's Civil Aviation Authority says airfield closed for maintenance work; watchdog says Israel fired four missiles targeting runway and nearby warehouses which likely contained shipment of Iran rockets

Daniel Salami|
Syria's Aleppo International Airport is closed for maintenance work, the country's Civil Aviation Authority said on Thursday in a notice to pilots and airlines, a day after a strike on the airfield that was linked to Israel.
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  • According to the statement, the airport's only runway is closed to flights due to work being carried out at the site. The statement did not mention the strike.
    The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based opposition war monitor, said in a statement that Israel fired four missiles targeting a runway at the Aleppo International Airport and nearby warehouses which likely contained a shipment of Iranian-supplied rockets.
    About an hour and a half later, Syrian state TV reported that Syrian Air defenses intercepted an Israeli attack over Damascus and its countryside, with blasts shaking the Syrian capital.
    Syria said earlier this year that Israel fired missiles from the Golan Heights, at targets south of Damascus, including the capital's airport.
    Less than a day later, the Syrian ministry of transportation said that it had suspended all flights to and from the international airport.
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    נזק למבנים ב מל תעופה דמשק
    נזק למבנים ב מל תעופה דמשק
    Debris and destruction at Damscus International Airport after Israel-linked attack, in June
    The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that warehouses used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and other Shi'ite militias, were targeted and that the control tower was also hit.
    Ynet reported last May that Iran and Hezbollah had begun transporting weapons on civilian flights to Syria, including small components that can be easily hidden.
    The use of civilian flights was meant to avoid detection by Israeli and western intelligence agencies, who were monitoring the transportation of weapons from Iran to Hezbollah.
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