Iran trying to open front against Israel in Syria, official says

A senior Israeli official accused Iran on Sunday of trying to open a second war front by deploying weapons in or through Syria as Israel steps up a counter-offensive in Gaza to the south.

Responding to a post on the X social-media platform that posited such a scenario, Joshua Zarka, head of strategic affairs for Israel's Foreign Ministry, said: "They (Iranians) are."

The original post also said "the Israelis are determined to prevent" such developments. To that, Zarka responded: "We are."

1. They are2. We are https://t.co/YAHfRkvxA9

— Joshua L. Zarka (@yzarka) October 15, 2023

Israeli official's comments come after airstrikes in Syria

Alleged Israeli airstrikes targeted the international airports in Aleppo and Damascus, putting both out of service on Thursday, according to Syrian state media.

According to the reports, the strikes targeted the runways at the airports. 

During the strikes, an Iranian Mahan Air flight that was about to land in Syria turned back to Tehran. Mahan Air has been shown to transport weapons, operatives, and funds for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah.

The Damascus International Airport and the Aleppo International Airport are frequently used by Iran to transfer weapons, equipment, and operatives to its proxies in the region, including Hezbollah.

Tzvi Joffre contributed to this report.