An aircraft that delivered aid from the UAE to Aleppo International Airport just hours before the Israeli Attack. Source: the Syrian Arab News Agency.
Syria’s Aleppo International Airport is set to resume operations less than a week after it was hit by a series of Israeli strikes.
The strikes, which were launched by Israeli fighter jets from the Eastern Mediterranean early on March 7, damaged the airport’s main runway. As a result, the airport was placed out of service and aerial humanitarian aid deliveries to Aleppo city, which was badly affected by the February 6 earthquake, were halted.
In a statement released on March 9, the Syrian Transportation Ministry announced that the airport will resume operations on the morning of the next day.
“The workers of the Civil Aviation Authority, in cooperation with national companies, have completed the repair of the damage caused by the Israeli aggression that targeted Aleppo International Airport,” the statement reads.
The ministry called on all carriers to reschedule flights to Aleppo and reaffirmed the airport’s readiness to receive humanitarian aid once again.
Israel targeted Aleppo International Airport on several occasions in the past, allegedly to stop Iranian weapons shipments destined to Hezbollah or other allies of Tehran. However, the motive behind the new attack remains unclear.
The attack was condemned by Damascus and its allies. From its side, the United States said that it would be worried about any lengthy halt to the flow of humanitarian aid to Aleppo city after the attack, without blaming Israel.
Israel attacks Syria on a regular basis as a part of a covert military campaign, known as “the war-between-the-wars.” The campaign is meant to push Iran and its allies out of the war-torn country as well as to prevent them from developing their offensive capabilities.
