Airstrikes target Aleppo and Damascus airports

Published: OCTOBER 22, 2023 06:21

Updated: OCTOBER 22, 2023 12:25

An Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jet flies during an aerial demonstration at a graduation ceremony for Israeli air force pilots (photo credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN) — An Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jet flies during an aerial demonstration at a graduation ceremony for Israeli air force pilots

(photo credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)

Syria has been a conduit for Iranian weapons flowing to Hezbollah and Iran-backed proxies in Syria over the years.

Syria blamed Israel for airstrikes on Damascus and Aleppo airports. Syria has been a conduit for Iranian weapons flowing to Hezbollah and Iran-backed proxies in Syria over the years. On October 14, two rockets were launched from Syria toward Israeli territory that fell in an open area.

Syrian state-un SANA news claimed Sunday that runways were damaged in the airstrikes and put the two airports out of service. These airports have been struck in the past. Aleppo, for instance, was reportedly struck also on October 12 and 14 in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. Iran has been increasing its threats to Israel in the last two weeks. It has encouraged Hezbollah to open a second front against Israel. In the past, Iran has moved weapon systems via Syria.

Israeli soldiers stand atop tanks overlooking the border between Israel and Syria (photo credit: RONEN ZVULUN / REUTERS)

For instance, back in 2018, Iran sought to move an air defense system to Syria’s T-4 base. Iran also used drones from Syria to threaten Israel beginning in 2018. In 2019 Hezbollah also sent a terrorist squad to an area near the Golan. In 2021 a drone was launched from Iraq targeting Israel. This year in April a group backed by Iran called Liwa al-Quds fired a rocket at Israel from Syria.

A potential third front in the war

According to Syrian state media, one person was killed in the Damascus strike over the weekend. Al-Ain media in the Gulf noted that “the Syrian News Agency quoted a military source as saying that Israel struck with missiles from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea, west of Latakia, and from the direction of the Syrian Golan, targeting the Damascus and Aleppo international airports, which led to the killing of two civilian workers at Damascus Airport.”

Al-Ain media wrote on Sunday that it believes that Syria could become a third front in the war.