Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes targeting Aleppo International Airport early Tuesday, leading to its shutdown, according to the Syrian news agency "SANA." A military source stated that at 2:07 AM on Tuesday, Israeli aircraft executed strikes from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea west of Latakia, targeting the airport, resulting in material damage and its cessation of operations.
The Israeli army refrained from commenting. Last year, Israel intensified its strikes on Syrian airports to disrupt Tehran's increasing use of air supply routes for delivering weapons to allies in Syria and Lebanon, including "Hezbollah," as stated by Israeli leadership.
It is noteworthy that Aleppo International Airport is a major destination for humanitarian aid flights that have flowed into the country following the earthquake. Suleiman Khalil, an official from the Ministry of Transport, stated in an interview with AFP that Aleppo Airport received over eighty aid flights in the past month, adding that "there is no longer the capacity to receive any new aid flights until the damages are repaired." He indicated that it was decided to "divert the flight paths of aid transport planes scheduled through Aleppo International Airport to use Damascus and Latakia airports instead."
This marks the second time that Israeli strikes have targeted areas in Syria since the earthquake. Aleppo Airport was previously hit by two separate Israeli strikes in September 2022, causing it to go out of service before it resumed operations about ten days later.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli attack on Aleppo International Airport, stating that it reflects the most brutal forms of barbarism and inhumanity of this entity. In a statement published through its Twitter account, it described the Israeli aggression on Aleppo International Airport as a double crime since it targeted a civilian airport while also disrupting a primary channel for delivering humanitarian aid to victims of the devastating earthquake that struck the region on February 6.
The statement added, "This aggression again reflects the Israeli enemy's practices as severe violations of international law, including international humanitarian law."
The Syrian foreign ministry warned the Israeli enemy against continuing to commit these crimes and called on the international community to condemn and work to put an end to them. Likewise, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants condemned the ongoing Israeli violation of international law and blatant disregard for the simplest ethical standards by attacking Aleppo International Airport while it is still receiving international humanitarian aid to alleviate the impact of the devastating earthquake that hit Syria, which once again reveals the persistent aggressive nature of Israeli policies in the region.
