DAMASCUS: An Israeli air strike hit Syria's Aleppo airport on Wednesday causing damage, the defence ministry said, without mentioning any casualties, in the second such attack on the facility this month.
It was the second such attack in a month on the airport in Syria's second city, which has been a major conduit for relief flights since a February 6 earthquake devastated swathes of southeastern Türkiye and neighbouring Syria.
"Around 3:55 am, the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack... targeting Aleppo international airport, leading to some material damage," a defence ministry statement said.
"A number of missiles" were fired from the Mediterranean west of the coastal city of Latakia, it added.
Transport ministry official Suleiman Khalil said technicians were assessing the damage.
On March 7, three people were killed in an Israeli strike on the airport that brought air traffic, including relief flights, to a halt. The airport reopened several days later.
More than 80 aid flights have landed in Aleppo with relief supplies following the earthquake, according to the transport ministry.
Since 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes against its neighbour, primarily targeting positions of the Syrian army and Hezbollah allies.
The Israeli military rarely comments on individual strikes against Syria, but has vowed repeatedly to keep up its air campaign.
Israel has attacked Aleppo and Damascus airports several times in recent years.
A strike on Aleppo airport last September put it out of service for a few days. That attack targeted a warehouse used by Iran-backed militias, the Observatory said at the time.
Earlier this month, Israeli air strikes in Syria killed an army officer the Observatory said.
Last month, an Israeli air strike killed 15 people in a Damascus district housing state security agencies.
The transport ministry said the strikes caused damage to the runway and to airport equipment, forcing all flights to be redirected to Damascus or to Latakia on the Mediterranean coast.
Previous strikes blamed on Israel have also stopped flights using the airport following damage to the runway. — AFP
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