Three Wounded in Latest Israeli Airstrikes on Syria

Syria's Aleppo airport has reopened after being put out of service due to an Israeli strike, which halted earthquake aid flights

Israel launched more airstrikes in Syria on Sunday morning, wounding at least three Syrian soldiers. According to the Syrian news agency SANA, missiles were launched at targets in the western provinces of Tartus and Hama, two regions that were hit by the devastating February 6 earthquake.

“At around 7:15am (04:15 GMT), the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack, firing missiles from the direction of north Lebanon with targets in the Tartus and Hama countryside,” SANA reported, according to Al Jazeera.

“The attack wounded three soldiers and caused some material losses,” SANA said. The report did not specify what facilities were targeted and said some missiles were intercepted by air defense systems.

On Friday, Syrian officials announced the Aleppo airport reopened after being out of service for days due to an Israeli airstrike. Aleppo was severely damaged by the earthquake, and the Israeli strike temporarily halted aid flights to the city, drawing condemnation from a UN official.

El-Mostafa Benlamlih, the UN’s resident coordinator for Syria, said the strike and the closure of the airport impeded “humanitarian access and could have drastic humanitarian consequences for millions of people who have been affected by the earthquake.”

Israel rarely takes credit for individual operations in Syria and hasn’t commented on the latest airstrikes. When Israeli officials do discuss their operations in Syria, they claim the strikes are against Iran, but they often kill Syrians and damage civilian infrastructure.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.