Israeli Official: Attack on Aleppo Airport a ‘Message to Assad’

A handout picture released by ImageSat International (ISI) on September 7, 2022, shows a satellite image depicting the damage at Aleppo airport in northern Syria following reported Israeli strikes on September 6, 2022. (Photo by ImageSat International (ISI) / AFP)
A handout picture released by ImageSat International (ISI) on September 7, 2022, shows a satellite image depicting the damage at Aleppo airport in northern Syria following reported Israeli strikes on September 6, 2022. (Photo by ImageSat International (ISI) / AFP)
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Israeli Official: Attack on Aleppo Airport a ‘Message to Assad’

A handout picture released by ImageSat International (ISI) on September 7, 2022, shows a satellite image depicting the damage at Aleppo airport in northern Syria following reported Israeli strikes on September 6, 2022. (Photo by ImageSat International (ISI) / AFP)
A handout picture released by ImageSat International (ISI) on September 7, 2022, shows a satellite image depicting the damage at Aleppo airport in northern Syria following reported Israeli strikes on September 6, 2022. (Photo by ImageSat International (ISI) / AFP)

Chairman of the Israeli Parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Ram Ben-Barak said on Wednesday that airstrikes on Aleppo International Airport had been a signal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Israeli airstrikes have killed at least three people and damaged the airport in northern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"The attack meant that certain planes would not be able to land, and that a message was relayed to Assad: If planes whose purpose is to encourage terrorism land, Syria’s transport capacity will be harmed," Ben-Barak told Ynet Radio Wednesday.

“The strategy of the State of Israel is to thwart the Iranian attempt to build around us armed militias well-equipped with precision weapons, in order to deter us from acting against Iran or acting against such and such terrorist elements in the region.”



EU's Borrell Urges Pressure on Israel, Hezbollah to Accept US Ceasefire Proposal

File photo: EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell attend the plenary session during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, in Stansstad near Lucerne, Switzerland, June 16, 2024. Urs Flueeler/Pool via REUTERS
File photo: EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell attend the plenary session during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, in Stansstad near Lucerne, Switzerland, June 16, 2024. Urs Flueeler/Pool via REUTERS
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EU's Borrell Urges Pressure on Israel, Hezbollah to Accept US Ceasefire Proposal

File photo: EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell attend the plenary session during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, in Stansstad near Lucerne, Switzerland, June 16, 2024. Urs Flueeler/Pool via REUTERS
File photo: EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell attend the plenary session during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, in Stansstad near Lucerne, Switzerland, June 16, 2024. Urs Flueeler/Pool via REUTERS

The European Union's foreign policy chief called on Sunday during a visit to Beirut for pressure to be exerted on both the Israeli government and on Lebanon's Hezbollah to accept a US ceasefire proposal.
Speaking at a news conference in Beirut, Josep Borell also urged Lebanese leaders to pick a president to end a two-year power vacuum in the country, and he pledged 200 million euros in support for Lebanon's armed forces.
US envoy Amos Hochstein traveled to the region earlier this week in pursuit of a deal to end months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that has erupted into full-on war.
Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.