Damascus and Aleppo airports closed a month ago due to Israeli attacks

Damascus and Aleppo airports remain inoperable following Israeli attacks that occurred simultaneously in October, marking the longest closure since the start of the war in Syria, a local non-governmental organization said on Wednesday.

Since 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian territory. The bombings targeted positions of the Syrian army and Iranian-backed groups, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, with two of its sites attacked on Wednesday, the Syrian Human Observatory said. Rights (OSDH), a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in London but which claims to have an extensive network of staff in the field.

Flights to and from Damascus Airport, the country’s main airport, have been disrupted since October 22 due to Israeli attacks that damaged major runways as well as other infrastructure. On the same day, similar military action led to the suspension of flights at Aleppo airport, the country’s second.

Both airports remain closed despite the completion of repair work, Rami Abdel Rahmane, director of OSDH, told AFP news agency.

Israel has bombed Damascus airport several times since the start of the war in Syria, but this is the first time the facilities have been closed for more than a month, he stressed.

Flights are usually diverted to Aleppo Airport in the north of the country. But because that structure also failed, the Transport Ministry announced that all flights would be diverted to the airport in the coastal city of Lattakia, which is smaller and has less equipment.

According to OSDH, the presence of a Russian military base at Latakya Airport protects it from Israeli bombing.

Passengers will have to travel overland to Lattakiya (about 350 kilometers from Damascus), where limited destinations including Russia, Iran and Iraq are available, meaning more time and additional costs.

Syrians from European countries and the United States mainly use Beirut (Lebanon) and Amman (Jordan) airports due to the lack of direct flights to Syria.

Israel has stepped up attacks on Syrian territory since the October 7 war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

OSDH reported that Israeli aircraft today struck an Iranian-backed Hezbollah center near Damascus. Local media made no mention of any incident.

The Observatory also reported an explosion in the afternoon of a Hezbollah facility, also near Damascus, initially without casualties, but this time the attack was recognized by several official media.

“At 15:10. [12h10 em Lisboa]“The Zionist enemy launched an air attack with two missiles (…) aimed at certain positions near the city of Damascus,” a Syrian military source said in a statement published by official media.

“Our air defense forces responded to the aggression and shot down one of the missiles,” the same source added, citing “material damage.”

Israel rarely comments on its attacks in Syria, but has indicated it intends to prevent Iran from strengthening its presence near its borders.