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Published: 02 January 2023
It is the second time that Damascus airport has been out of service since June 2022, when an Israeli bombing led to the suspension of all flights for about two weeks after
damaging one of the runways, two soldiers were killed at dawn on Monday by an Israeli bombing that targeted Damascus International Airport and put it out of service, according to the official Syrian news agency "SANA" quoted a military source.
The source stated that "around 2: 00 this morning (23.00 GMT), the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression with bursts of rockets.. Targeting Damascus International Airport and its surroundings, which led to the martyrdom of two military personnel, wounding two others, some material losses and the exit of Damascus International Airport from service,"he said.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Israeli shelling affected "positions of Lebanese Hezbollah and pro-Iranian groups inside and around the airport, including a weapons depot".
There was no official comment from Israel, which over the past years has launched hundreds of air strikes in Syria targeting Syrian army positions and Iranian and Hezbollah targets.
Tehran confirms the presence of elements of its armed forces in Syria on advisory missions. Since 2013, the Lebanese Hezbollah, backed by Tehran, has been openly fighting in Syria in support of the regime forces.
Israel rarely confirms carrying out strikes in Syria, but reiterates that it will continue to counter what it describes as Iran's attempts to establish a military presence in Syria.
The Israeli military justifies these attacks as necessary to prevent its arch-enemy Iran from gaining a foothold on Israel's borders.
Israel constantly launches strikes targeting positions of both sides, weapons and ammunition depots in the vicinity of Damascus and inside civilian and military airports in various areas.
"We will not accept another Hezbollah in Syria,"the head of the IDF's operations department, Oded bassiuk, said in a series of tweets published by the IDF on December 28.
During his presentation, he considered the expected course of action of the Israeli army during the new year, "we see that our course of action in Syria is an example of how constant and continuous military action leads to the formation of the entire region and influences it,"he said.