Israeli airstrikes on Damascus airport suspends air operations, raises tension
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Syria’s Damascus International Airport has suspended all its air operations since June 10 after several Israeli airstrikes heavily damaged its infrastructure, marking the first shut down of the airport from strikes.
On June 11, Syria’s state-run news agency quoted Ministry of Transport as saying that the “brute” attack led to suspension of all flights until further notice, “since it caused heavy damages to the airstrips, navigational lights and a hall inside the airport.”
The ministry stated that work was underway to fix the damages, and “air traffic shall be resumed in corporation with air carriers as soon as the rehabilitations are accomplished.”
Syrian Airlines, the country’s main carrier, said it would repay travelers or postpone canceled trips. Cham Wings, Syria’s first private national carrier, said it rerouted all its flights to the Aleppo International Airport and is providing all travelers with free transportation between Damascus and Aleppo.
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a rare public rebuke, condemned Friday’s airstrikes, describing it as “provocative” and a “violation of the basic norms of international law.”
According to a report published by the Arabic-speaking Al-Akhbar newspaper on June 13, the Syrian-Iranian side asked Russian commanders to put an end to Israeli attacks but they replied that were not obliged to clash with Israel to protect Iranian interests.
Last month, the Israeli Defense Forces’ Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said that the son-in-law of the assassinated Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) leader Qasem Soleimani was smuggling weapons from Iran to its Lebanese Hezbollah proxy using civilian Syrian flights.
The spokesperson also accused Iran and Hezbollah at the time of “endangering civilians” by smuggling the armaments through civilian flights to Damascus International Airport in order “to maintain secrecy.”
On June 13, Lebanon condemned the Israeli airstrike on Damascus International Airport calling it an “affirmation of Israel’s aggressiveness and its interventionist policies in the region.”
Israel announced that the airstrike thwarted some 70% of missiles’ smuggling from Iran to both Lebanon and Syria, according to Israeli reports.
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes inside Syria over the past few years targeting what it says Iranian-backed militia’s strongholds.
It rarely acknowledges or comments on carrying out airstrikes inside Syria but it always repeats it will confront Iran attempts to establish permanent military presence inside Syria.
The UN expressed its “concern” about airstrikes on Damascus Airport which have led to the closure of the airport due to damages sustained.
“Targeting civilian objects and infrastructure runs contrary to international and humanitarian law,” Imran Riza, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Syria, said in a statement. “Humanitarian air services must resume without delay so that emergency assistance can continue to reach those in need.”
The airstrike sparked tension between Israel on one side and Iran and its Lebanese Hezbollah ally on the other.
Syria repeatedly complained and reported Israeli strikes on its territory, targeting military installations, arms depots and other locations of Iran-aligned groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Nevertheless, Israel rarely claims responsibility for the strikes.