Israel Targets Aleppo, Damascus Airports 10 Times in Over a Year to ‘Fight Iran’

Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous inspects the damage to the runway at Damascus International Airport last Friday after an Israeli bombing. (SANA)
Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous inspects the damage to the runway at Damascus International Airport last Friday after an Israeli bombing. (SANA)
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Israel Targets Aleppo, Damascus Airports 10 Times in Over a Year to ‘Fight Iran’

Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous inspects the damage to the runway at Damascus International Airport last Friday after an Israeli bombing. (SANA)
Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous inspects the damage to the runway at Damascus International Airport last Friday after an Israeli bombing. (SANA)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has documented ten Israeli attacks in over a year on Aleppo and Damascus international airports in a bid to fight Iran in Syria.

These attacks led to putting Aleppo International Airport out of service on six occasions and Damascus International Airport on one occasion.

In addition, the Israeli attacks on the two airports since August 2022 left 25 combatants dead, including officers, and Iranian-backed non-Syrian and Syrian militiamen.

Israel attacked Saturday the airport of Aleppo for the second time in 48 hours, putting it out of service.

On Sunday, a senior Israeli official accused Iran of trying to open a second war front by deploying weapons in or through Syria as Israel steps up a counter-offensive in Gaza to the south.

Syria accused Israel of carrying out strikes against Damascus and Aleppo airports last week.

In a related context, a military source who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Syrian opposition Orient TV that the Iranian militias have recently started a new program to develop and assemble drones at the T4 military airport in eastern Homs in coordination with the airport command and the Syrian Air Force.

The source added this is supervised by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The “Quds Force” militias worked to assemble and develop four types of drones and trained their members and “Hezbollah” militiamen on them within the airport.

Meanwhile, Al-Alam TV reported on Sunday that Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi had a phone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Sunday and informed him that if Israel didn’t stop its attacks on Gaza, then “the theater will expand”.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said “If the attacks of the Zionist regime against civilians and the defenseless people of Gaza persist, no one can guarantee that the situation will be under control and the scope of the fighting won’t expand.”



World Food Program Launches Probe Into its Sudan Operations

Evacuees move their belongings on donkeys, following devastating floods, in Tokar, Red Sea State, Sudan, August 28, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
Evacuees move their belongings on donkeys, following devastating floods, in Tokar, Red Sea State, Sudan, August 28, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
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World Food Program Launches Probe Into its Sudan Operations

Evacuees move their belongings on donkeys, following devastating floods, in Tokar, Red Sea State, Sudan, August 28, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
Evacuees move their belongings on donkeys, following devastating floods, in Tokar, Red Sea State, Sudan, August 28, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig

The UN World Food Program is investigating two of its top officials in Sudan over allegations including fraud and concealing information from donors about its ability to deliver food aid to civilians amid the nation’s dire hunger crisis, according to 11 people with knowledge of the probe.
The investigation by the WFP’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) comes as the UN’s food-aid arm is struggling to feed millions of people in war-plagued Sudan, now suffering one of the world’s most severe food shortages in years.
As part of the probe, investigators are looking at whether WFP staff sought to hide the alleged role of Sudan’s army in obstructing aid amid a brutal 16-month war with a rival paramilitary for control of the country, according to five of the sources who spoke to Reuters.
One of those being examined in the inquiry is the WFP’s deputy country director in Sudan, Khalid Osman, who has been given a “temporary duty assignment” outside Sudan, a de facto suspension, according to six sources.
A second senior official, WFP area manager Mohammed Ali, is being investigated in connection with the alleged disappearance of more than 200,000 liters of the UN organization’s fuel in the Sudanese city of Kosti, according to four sources. Reuters could not confirm whether Ali remains in his role.
Osman and Ali declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, referring the news agency to the WFP’s media office.
Asked about the probe by Reuters, the WFP said that “allegations of individual misconduct related to irregularities in pockets of our operation in Sudan” are under urgent review by its inspector general’s office. It declined to comment on the nature of alleged wrongdoing or the status of specific employees.
The US government’s aid agency, USAID, told Reuters in a statement that it was notified by the WFP on Aug. 20 of “potential incidents of fraud affecting WFP operations in Sudan.” USAID says it is the single largest donor to the WFP, providing nearly half of all contributions in a typical year.
“These allegations are deeply concerning and must be thoroughly investigated,” the USAID statement said. “USAID immediately referred these allegations to the USAID Office of the Inspector General."