A heavy machine operates at the tarmac of Damascus International Airport, Syria, in this handout released by SANA on June 12, 2022. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
On June 15, Israel’s ImageSat International released satellite images showing ongoing repairs at Syria’s Damascus International Airport.
The airport went out of service as a result of the June 10 Israeli aerial attack. The attack inflicted heavy damage on the airport’s northern and southern runways as well as on the arrival hall. One of the airport’s workers was also wounded as a result of the attack.
The damage caused by the attack forced the Syrian Transportation Ministry to move all flights from Damascus International Airport to the Aleppo International Airport.
The new satellite images show significant progress in repairs at the airport, which started right after the attack. Work is currently focused on the northern runway.
Click to see full-size image. Source: ImageSat International.
Click to see full-size image. Source: ImageSat International.
Syria’s transportation minister Zuhair Khuzaym visited the airport on June 15 to inspect the ongoing repairs. During the visit, the minister said that specialists are working around the hour to fix the damage caused by the Israeli attack. However, he didn’t reveal when the airport will be ready to resume operations.
Despite the lack of an official timeline for the repairs, traveling agencies in Syria are reportedly booking flights from Damascus International Airport for June 22 and onward. Considering the progress seen in the new satellite images, this date appears to be realistic.
Russia, Iran, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and a number of Palestinian factions, including the Hamas Movement, condemned the Israeli attack on the airport.
Following the attack, the Syrian intelligence carried out a security operation in the airport. Four workers were reportedly arrested.
This was the most violent Israeli attack on Damascus International Airport to date. Prior to the attack, Israel accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of shipping advanced weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon via the airport.
The Syrian decision not to respond spared the war-torn country a military confrontation. Yet, it will likely encourage Israel to carry out harsher attacks in the future.
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