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.”



Israel Vows to Prevent an Aid Boat Carrying Greta Thunberg, Activists from Reaching Gaza

Climate activist Greta Thunberg stands near a Palestinian flag after boarding the Madleen boat and before setting sail for Gaza along with activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departing from the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)
Climate activist Greta Thunberg stands near a Palestinian flag after boarding the Madleen boat and before setting sail for Gaza along with activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departing from the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)
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Israel Vows to Prevent an Aid Boat Carrying Greta Thunberg, Activists from Reaching Gaza

Climate activist Greta Thunberg stands near a Palestinian flag after boarding the Madleen boat and before setting sail for Gaza along with activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departing from the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)
Climate activist Greta Thunberg stands near a Palestinian flag after boarding the Madleen boat and before setting sail for Gaza along with activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departing from the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)

Israel’s defense minister has vowed to prevent an aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching the Gaza Strip.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that Israel wouldn't allow anyone to break its naval blockade of the Palestinian territory, which he said was aimed at preventing Hamas from importing arms.

Thunberg, a climate campaigner is among 12 activists aboard the Madleen, which is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The vessel departed Sicily last Sunday on a mission that aims to break the sea blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, while raising awareness over the growing humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, The AP news reported.

The activists had said they planned to reach Gaza’s territorial waters as early as Sunday.

Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, is among the others onboard. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.

After a three-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless the blockade and the war end.

An attempt last month by Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea failed after another of the group’s vessels was attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship.