Syria halts flights hours after Israel attack

Syria halted flights to and from Damascus International Airport today, the transport ministry said, a few hours after Israeli air strikes hit south of the capital, Reuters reported.

A Syrian military official quoted by the state news agency said Syrian air defences intercepted the Israeli missiles, downing most of them, but that the early morning attack caused one civilian injury and some material damage.

Cham Wings Airline, a private Syrian carrier, said it was rerouting all its flights to Aleppo International Airport.

The transport ministry’s statement did not refer to the Israeli attack but cited technical reasons for the airport’s shutdown.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Israeli bombing had damaged the runway after targeting “warehouses of Iranian militias” near the airport.

For several years, Israel has been attacking what it has described as Iranian-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran-backed forces have deployed to help President Bashar Al-Assad.

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