Syria launches air defences after ‘Israeli strikes’ send Damascus, Aleppo airports out of service

Syria launched its air defences on Thursday after attacks damaged airports in its capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo. Flights were grounded after air strikes affected the runway and put both hubs out of service. Syrian state media cited military sources to attribute the missiles to Israeli forces. The development comes amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine war. 

Unnamed military officials told Syrian state media that the "simultaneous" strikes had damaged the landing strips of both airports. The purported attack came less than a day before Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was slated to visit Syria.

Israel has so far declined to comment on the allegations. It is however pertinent to note that the other country has carried out strikes for several years against ‘Iran-linked targets’ in Syria – including the two airports.

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Sources cited by local reports described the strikes as a "desperate attempt" by Israel to "divert attention" away from the conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Others dubbed it an attempt to disrupt Iranian supply lines to Syria.

Earlier on Tuesday Israeli troops had fired artillery and mortar shells towards Syria after rockets from southern Syria hit Israeli positions across the border.

Meanwhile Iran called on Islamic and Arab countries to form a united front against Israel on Thursday. Tehran has come under scrutiny following a surprise attack from Hamas extremists over the weekend. While the other country celebrated the assault as a "success" it has insisted that it was not involved in the matter.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has since asked his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in a phone call to cooperate against Israel.

“All the Islamic and Arab countries... must reach serious convergence and cooperation on the path of stopping the crimes of the Zionist regime against the oppressed Palestinian nation,” he said during a call on Wednesday.

(With inputs from agencies)