Alleged Israeli airstrikes target Syrian Aleppo airport for second time in week

Last week, alleged Israeli airstrikes hit Damascus and Aleppo airport within an hour.

Illustrative image of an airstrike. (photo credit: ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)
Illustrative image of an airstrike.
(photo credit: ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)

Alleged Israeli airstrikes targeted the Aleppo airport in northern Syria on Tuesday night, according to Syrian state news agency SANA.

According to SANA, the airstrikes were carried out from over the Mediterranean Sea from the direction of Latakia and damaged the airport's runway, putting it out of service.

The strikes come less than a week after alleged Israeli airstrikes targeted the international airport in Aleppo in northern Syria and sites near Damascus, including the international airport in the city.

Those airstrikes came less than a week after alleged Israeli airstrikes targeted the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) in Masyaf, located southwest of Aleppo. Two civilians were reportedly injured in the strikes and material damage was caused. The strikes sparked a number of fires.

Last week's airstrikes

 Smoke rises from shelling on the road to Aleppo international airport, Syria October 28, 2016. (credit: REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah)
Smoke rises from shelling on the road to Aleppo international airport, Syria October 28, 2016. (credit: REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah)

Satellite imagery from Planet showed large areas around the SSRC in Masyaf damaged by fires. According to Syrian reports, secondary explosions continued for hours after the strikes along with blazes caused by the strikes. Local residents were reportedly instructed to shelter in place until the fires were brought under control.

While a number of alleged Israeli airstrikes have targeted sites near Aleppo in recent years, the last alleged Israeli airstrike that targeted the airport before the strike last week was reported in 2019.

Earlier this year, after alleged Israeli airstrikes destroyed runways at the Damascus International Airport, Iranian airlines suspected of smuggling weapons and equipment to Iran-backed militias in Syria and Lebanon reportedly began landing in Aleppo instead of Damascus.

Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit revealed that IDF intelligence assessed that Syria was developing a nuclear reactor five years before it was destroyed by Israeli jets in Operation Outside the Box in 2007.