Syrian authorities are hastening to restore services at Damascus International Airport following airstrikes that extensively damaged its two runways.
All flights to and from the airport remain halted, the Syrian transportation ministry said. Some flights are still being diverted to the city of Aleppo.
Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous visited the airport on Sunday, state-run news agency Sana reported.
Repair works are expected to take about two weeks, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said, citing airport sources.
Syria's government has blamed Israel for Friday's attack. Israel has yet to respond.
The observatory also claimed Israel was behind the attacks.
The UK-based observatory has been monitoring for more than 11 years the key developments and human rights violations in Syria.
Repair works are taking place on the northern runway, along with the navigation lights, the communications tower, the old halls, three hangars and warehouses, the observatory said.
On Friday, the Israel-based Image Sat International published satellite images of what it said was extensive damage to both military and civilian runways from the June 10 strikes.
According to the observatory, the southern runway was already out of service before the latest attacks due to “Israeli airstrikes” that targeted the airport last year.
While not confirming outright its involvement in the air strikes in Syria, Israelis officials have accused Iran in recent months and years of using Damascus airport to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon using cargo airlines via Syria.
Israel has also said it will not allow Iran to entrench its militias near Israeli borders.
Syria has accused Israel for years of sharply increasing airstrikes against its territories. The airstrikes have targeted several parts across the country including the capital Damascus.
According to the observatory, the strikes targeted Iranian assets and weapons depots belonging to militias loyal to Tehran. It put at 15 the number of such strikes since the beginning of this year.
Iran has been the chief backer of the regime of President Bashar Al Assad since the start of the protests against his rule in 2011, which morphed into a bloody civil conflict.
The conflict has been continuing for more than 11 years. It has claimed the lives of more than 350,000 people, according to the United Nations. The observatory's estimate is nearly 500,000 people.
Supported by Iran and Russia, the Assad regime has turned the tide against his opposition factions and recaptured most of the Syrian territories except for parts in the north including the north-western province of Idlib.
Last month, the Israel military's Arabic-language spokesman, Lt Col Avichay Adraee, accused Iran on his official Twitter account of transferring weapons on civilian flights to Damascus airport.
He claimed that Iran-backed Hezbollah was “exploiting Lebanon and its citizens” to achieve its goals.
On Friday, Russia, which controls Syrian airspace in co-ordination with the Syrian government, condemned Israel for “attacking Syrian civilian infrastructure”, according to Russian media.
Russia said that the airport suffered “serious damage,” and that Syrian officials told Moscow repairing the damaged runways may take “significant time.”
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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