Damascus: Following Israeli airstrikes this week that hit its runway, Syria's Aleppo airport, a crucial route for relief flights after the devastating earthquake in February, reopened on Friday, an official said.
According to the transport ministry, the damage from Tuesday's raid forced all flights and aid deliveries to be rerouted to the airports in Latakia and Damascus. "Since 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) this morning, the airport has been open... According to ministry employee Souleiman Khalil, we fixed all the damage.
However, "no civilian planes are scheduled to land in Aleppo airport today," an airport official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to talk to the press.
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According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Israeli warplanes raided the airport in Aleppo, Syria's second city, and killed three people.
Earlier than that, more than 80 relief flights carrying supplies had landed there after the earthquake that left more than 50,000 dead in Syria and Turkiye, according to Khalil at the time.
El-Mostafa Benlamlih, the resident Syria coordinator for the UN, expressed his "deep concern" about the airport closure in a statement on Wednesday.
For the millions of people who have been impacted by the earthquake, "the impact of this closure impedes humanitarian access and could have drastic humanitarian consequences," he continued.
The Israeli raid on Tuesday was the second of its kind since the 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria.
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According to the British-based Observatory, an Israeli airstrike on February 19 killed 15 people in a Damascus neighbourhood home to state security agencies. Israel frequently targets the airports in Aleppo and Damascus, but it rarely discusses specific strikes against Syria.
However, it has vowed to continue its air campaign against Syria in order to prevent Iran, an arch enemy and ally of Damascus, from increasing its influence there. Since the start of Syria's civil war in 2011, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes against its northern neighbour, hitting both government forces and allied forces backed by Iran as well as Hezbollah fighters.