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Israeli strikes said to target Syrian airports

The Assad regime’s air defenses “confronted” the alleged Israeli attack, local media said.

Aleppo International Airport, Aug. 12, 2017. Photo by Val_Yankin/Shutterstock.
Aleppo International Airport, Aug. 12, 2017. Photo by Val_Yankin/Shutterstock.

Explosions were heard across Syria on Thursday afternoon, with local media claiming Israeli airstrikes targeted the airports of Damascus and Aleppo.

The pro-Assad regime Sham FM radio station reported that Syrian air defenses “confronted” the alleged Israeli attack.

“There were no casualties as a result of the Israeli aggression that targeted Aleppo International Airport,” the report added.

The runways of both airports were reportedly damaged in the strikes, making it harder for Iran to send arms to its terrorist proxies on Israel’s northern border.

The airstrikes “damaged landing strips in the two airports, putting them out of service,” regime media said, citing a military source.

An Iranian plane on its way to Damascus was forced to turn back, Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster said.

The strikes came shortly after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian left Tehran for a regional tour that includes planned stops in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. According to Iran’s semi-official IRNA news agency, conversations will focus on “developments in Palestine and the Gaza Strip.”

Amir-Abdollahian was set to visit Damascus on Friday, Syrian reports noted.

Earlier this month, Israeli airstrikes wounded two Syrian soldiers near Deir el-Zour in the eastern part of the country, according to Syrian state media.

The strikes targeted military assets and also caused “material damage,” according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.

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