Syria says Damascus and Aleppo airports hit by Israeli missiles

Syrian state media says Israeli forces have hit the country’s two main international airports with missiles, putting them out of action.

State media said runways had been damaged at both Damascus and Aleppo airports and flights would be diverted to Latakia, a city in north-west Syria.

Israel has not commented on the strike. It has previously attacked targets in war-torn Syria, linked to Iran.

Iran’s foreign minister was planning to fly to Syria on Friday.

Syria’s Damascus and Aleppo airports not only handle civil aviation but also host military bases, which are reportedly transit points for Iranian arms sent to Hezbollah – a militant group which is powerful in both Syria and Lebanon.

An unnamed military source quoted by Syrian state media said “simultaneous” Israeli strikes had “damaged landing strips in the two airports, putting them out of service”. The source called it a “desperate”Israeli attempt to divert attention from the Gaza conflict.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian – who was due to visit Syria as part of a tour of the region in the coming days – arrived in Iraq on Thursday and is also expected to visit Lebanon…