Israel has carried out air strikes at targets near the Aleppo international airport, according to Syrian media. Mid-last month, Israeli airstrikes inside the Syrian capital Damascus had killed an unspecified number of people.
In the latest strike inside Syria, Israel is believed to have struck Iranian militia targets near the Aleppo airport. It is currently believed that the explosions are an attack on Iranian militia targets at an airport in Aleppo.
The Syrian media outlets also said a series of explosions took place in the north of the country. The reports added that Syrian air defense system was activated against missiles. According to the JPost, the Syrian outlets added that a runway at the Aleppo airport has been shut down. There are no reported injuries in the aftermath of the attack.
Shadow War With Iran
Though Israel has carried out numerous of strikes targeting high-profile security buildings in Damascus, Tel Aviv usually does not acknowledges such operations. Israel, however, sticks to its policy of taking down targets connected to Iran-allied militant groups like the Hezbollah.
Israel has been monitoring the expansion of Iranian footprint in coastal Syria, which are seen as long-term threat to the Jewish state.
In May 2022, Israeli and Russian military narrowly avoided a mishap when Tel Avis's military jets came under Russian anti-aircraft fire over Syria. The Israeli strikes happened at a place close to the Russian navy's only Mediterranean base in the port of Tartus. The strike happened when Russian warships were docked in the region.
Russia usually ignores Israeli attacks on Iranian-sponsored outposts and installations in the region, though Russia supported Bashar al Assad against the twin attacks his administration faced for years from the Sunni Islamist terrorist outfits as well as the US and its Middle East allies.
Iran's Increasing Presence in Syria
Iran has been stepping up its presence and influence inside Syria for years and this process got a boost in the aftermath of the Syrian civil war that started in 2012. Iranian militias and paramilitary groups have built up sizeable presence around the capital Damascus, as well as on the southern coastal regions closer to Israel.
Responding to the threat Israel has been on high alert, targeting and taking down key Iranian installations in the region including capital Damascus.
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