Damascus and Aleppo airports in Syria remain closed a month after simultaneous Israeli strikes, marking the longest shutdown since the beginning of the conflict, as reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Wednesday.
Flights to and from Damascus International Airport, the country’s largest and main airport, have been halted since October 22 following Israeli strikes on its main runways.
Similarly, Aleppo International Airport was put out of service due to strikes on the same day, according to the Syrian Ministry of Transportation.
Throughout the years of conflict, Israel has repeatedly targeted Damascus Airport, causing temporary closures, but this latest shutdown is the longest, as per the Observatory.
Flights often were diverted to Aleppo’s airport, the country’s second-largest. However, with its closure, the Ministry of Transportation announced that all flights would be redirected to the smaller and less-equipped Latakia city airport. This airport, hosting a Russian military base, is reportedly shielded from Israeli bombardment.
Travelers now must travel approximately 350 kilometers by land to Latakia to depart for limited destinations, primarily Russia, Iran, and Iraq, adding to time and cost burdens.
Syrians coming from Europe and the United States typically use Beirut and Amman airports due to the absence of direct flights to Syria.
Israel has escalated its targeting of Syria since the Hamas attack on October 7. The Observatory also reported on Wednesday that Israeli airstrikes targeted a Lebanese Hezbollah headquarters in rural Damascus.
