Israeli missile strikes put Damascus airport out of service

Israel’s military fired missiles toward the international airport of the capital Damascus early Monday, putting it out of service and killing two soldiers and wounding two others, the Syrian army said.

The attack, the first this year, also caused material damage in nearby area, the army said without giving further details.

It was the second time the Damascus International Airport was put out of service in less than a year.

There was no comment from Israel.

On June 10, Israeli airstrikes that struck Damascus International Airport caused significant damage to infrastructure and runways. It reopened two weeks later after repairs.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

Israel has acknowledged, however, that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.

The Syrian army said on Monday that Israel struck parts of southern Damascus in the latest string of strikes that regional intelligence sources say target Iran-linked assets.

There were no initial reports of damage or casualties and earlier state media said explosions were heard over the capital.

Two regional intelligence sources say the strikes hit an outpost by Iran’s Quds Force and militias it backs, whose presence has spread in Syria in recent years.

They say the Iranians have a strong presence in the Sayeda Zainab neighbourhood of southern Damascus where Iranian backed militias have a string of underground bases.

Iran’s proxy militias led by Lebanon’s Hezbollah now hold sway in vast areas in eastern and southern Syria and northwest as well as several suburbs around the capital.

Reporting by Reuters, AP