Israel bombs Damascus Airport to stop Iran from smuggling weapons to Hezbollah, media report

Israel has bombed Damascus International Airport in order to thwart Iran’s attempts to transport weapons to Hezbollah and other regional proxies using commercial flights, the occupation state’s Channel 12 reported on Sunday.

Israeli security services apparently believe that the Iranians have intensified their efforts to introduce new technology in Syria. Such equipment, it is reported, will improve the accuracy and precision of missiles used by Hezbollah.

Israel has significantly reduced Iran’s ability to smuggle arms shipments to Syria by land and sea. Its air strikes on the airport caused “major damage” to the runways, closing it for a couple of days.

Last month alone, the Israeli Air Force carried out 15 attacks against economic facilities used by Iran to smuggle weapons and industrial equipment to Syria and Lebanon.

Syria: Russia condemns Israel airstrike on Damascus airport

The Israelis estimate that their recent attacks have stopped about 70 per cent of Iranian arms shipments to the two countries.

The report confirmed that Israel informed Russia of the bombing of Damascus Airport, as per the joint mechanism to prevent friction between international states embroiled in Syria. However, Moscow has condemned the latest Israeli attack.

According to Channel 12, Israel’s attack sent a message to the Iranians that it is monitoring their movements and is ready to block them, even if that means making it impossible for Damascus International Airport to remain operational. The occupation state also wants to send a “strong message” to the President of the Syrian regime, Bashar Al-Assad, that he will “pay a heavy price” if he continues to host Iranians in Syria and allows them to strengthen their military presence in the country.