Eurasia Press & News
Syria regularly accuses Israel of striking its territories, the latest occurring during a regional tour by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Suspected Israeli airstrikes hit Syria on Thursday, the first such attacks since the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas began.
SANA, Syria’s official news outlet, reported airstrikes hitting the Damascus and Aleppo airports around 1:50 pm local time. The attacks damaged the airports’ landing strips, putting them out of service, according to the outlet.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Syrian air defenses had responded to the strikes. Neither the observatory nor SANA immediately reported any casualties.
Israel did not immediately comment.
Why it matters: Syria regularly accuses Israel of attacks on its territory, though Israel rarely confirms having done so. Suspected Israeli airstrikes also hit the Aleppo airport in late August. Israel is thought to be targeting Iranian military targets in Syria.
There has been considerable speculation in US media about Iran’s alleged involvement in the assault Hamas launched against Israel on Saturday. Both Iran and Hamas have denied the Islamic Republic taking part in the attack.
Since the war started on Saturday, the Syrian-Israeli border saw skirmishes as Israeli troops fired artillery and mortar shells on Tuesday after a number of shells launched from its northern neighbor landed in open areas on Israeli territory, the Israel’s military said according to Reuters.
The strikes on Damascus and Aleppo come during a regional tour by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. After flying to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Thursday, he was scheduled to travel to on Syria and Lebanon. Amir-Abdollahian’s trip is focused on the Gaza war, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
There has been recent cross-border firing between Lebanon and Israel, but so far Syria has not been directly involved in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Know more: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, held a phone call earlier on Thursday. The two discussed the Israel-Hamas war and praised the Palestinian people’s “resistance.” Assad called on Arab and Muslim countries to unite and protect the Palestinians, according to a statement from the Syrian presidency.
Iran has strongly backed Assad in the Syrian war. Its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah helped tip the balance in Assad’s favor after intervening in 2012, and is also present on the Syrian border with Israel.
