Israel launches missile attacks on Syria's Aleppo airport and Damascus

Syrian air defences confronted 'hostile missiles' over the capital city and its countryside

The airport is next to Aleppo's Al Nayreb suburb, several kilometres from the city centre. AFP

An Israeli missile attack hit Syria’s Aleppo airport and Syrian air defences confronted "an Israeli air aggression" over the city of Damascus on Wednesday, the country's Defence Ministry said.

"Around 8pm, the Israeli enemy targeted Aleppo International Airport with a missile strike, which caused material damage to the airport," a military source said.

The ministry said Israel at 9.18pm fired missiles from the direction of the Sea of Galilee in the Palestinian Territories at points south-east of the city of Damascus.

“Our air defences confronted the aggression’s missiles and downed some of them,” the ministry quoted a military source as saying.

The attacks caused some damage to property, the ministry said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Thursday said one person was killed and three wounded in the Israeli shelling on Damascus. It said two Israeli missiles were aimed at military sites of the Syrian government where Hezbollah-affiliated militias were present.

The airport is next to the Al Nayreb suburb, several kilometres from Aleppo city centre, and explosions were heard in the area on Wednesday night, state media reported.

The observatory, a war monitor with a large network of sources across Syria, said Israeli bombing had hit targets near Aleppo airport.

Four rockets hit a runway and depots at the airport, the watchdog reported from Britain.

The attack caused a fire and explosions at a store holding a stockpile of rockets that probably belonged to Iran, it said.

Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes against its neighbour, aiming at government troops and allied Iran-backed forces and fighters from Lebanon's Shiite group Hezbollah.

While Israel rarely comments on attacks, it has acknowledged carrying them out.

The Israeli military has defended them as necessary to prevent Iran from gaining a foothold on its doorstep.

The conflict in Syria has killed nearly half a million people and forced about half of the country's prewar population from their homes.