UN says Israeli airstrike on Damascus airport halted aid deliveries

A purported Israeli airstrike on the airport of the Syrian capital Damascus in June that forced it to close for two weeks led to the suspension of humanitarian activities during that period, says the UN commission of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria.

On June 10, Israeli airstrikes that struck Damascus International Airport caused significant damage and rendered the main runway unserviceable. The airport opened two weeks later following repairs.

Commission member Lynn Welchman tells reporters in Geneva that her group was aware of some 14 Israeli airstrikes in Syria between January and June, adding that there were more strikes in August.

“We haven’t been able to so far corroborate civilian casualties. Civilian casualties is what we investigate,” she says. Welchman adds that the June 10 airstrike on Damascus airport did lead to “the suspension of all new and humanitarian air force delivery of humanitarian assistance which is extremely serious.”

Israel has launched hundreds of strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria over the years and against Syrian military installations in cases where they were being used to attack Israel or Israeli forces.