Syria's Aleppo airport to reopen on Friday morning

An Israeli air strike put the airport out of service

Aleppo International Airport. AFP
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Syria's Aleppo International Airport will resume operations on Friday morning after being shut down due to an Israeli air strike, state media reported on Thursday.

In a statement, the Ministry of Transport called on all air carriers to reschedule all flights and said the airport is ready to receive relief aid planes for earthquake victims.

An Israeli air strike hit Aleppo airport on Tuesday, putting it out of service and causing disruption to aid flow.

Israel “carried out an air attack from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea, west of Latakia, targeting Aleppo International Airport”, state news agency Sana reported. It said the strike caused "material damage”.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, including attacks on the Damascus and Aleppo airports, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations.

Israel has acknowledged, however, that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support President Bashar Al Assad’s forces.

Aleppo, which suffered widespread destruction in Syria's civil war, was again heavily damaged in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake last month.

A number of countries have since sent aid shipments to the city's airport.

Last month, Israeli air strikes targeted residential areas in Syria’s capital, Damascus, killing at least five people and wounding 15, the news agency reported.

Updated: March 09, 2023, 1:49 PM