ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Satellite photos: Likely Israel strike damages Syria airport

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage on the runway of Aleppo International Airport after a suspected Israeli strike there in Aleppo, Syria, March 7, 2023. A suspected Israeli airstrike targeting Aleppo International Airport again tore multiple craters on its runway, satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press showed, March 9, 2023. A United Nations official separately has criticized the attack for hindering earthquake relief for the hard-hit, war-torn nation. (Planet Labs PBC via AP) This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage on the runway of Aleppo International Airport after a suspected Israeli strike there in Aleppo, Syria, March 7, 2023. A suspected Israeli airstrike targeting Aleppo International Airport again tore multiple craters on its runway, satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press showed, March 9, 2023. A United Nations official separately has criticized the attack for hindering earthquake relief for the hard-hit, war-torn nation. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
Share
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -

A suspected Israeli airstrike targeting Aleppo International Airport in Syria again left multiple craters on its runway, satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press showed Thursday.

Separately, a UN official criticized the attack for hindering earthquake relief for the hard-hit, war-torn Syria.

The attack on Aleppo airport comes as Israel previously struck the airfield as part of an Israeli campaign to disrupt Iranian weapons transfers to the country. Those attacks have continued despite ongoing political turmoil in Israel and as Iran's nuclear program edges closer to enriching weapons-grade levels of uranium as negotiations over it have fallen apart.

The satellite photos, taken early Tuesday afternoon by Planet Labs PBC, show vehicles gathered on the airport's single asphalt runway around the damage. One spot, directly south of its passenger terminal, appeared to be a new, significant crater.

It appeared the strike also targeted three patched areas earlier struck in suspected Israeli attacks in September. The runway also was struck in late August at another spot, though that patch work appeared undamaged.

Aleppo's airport, like many others in Middle East nations, is a dual-use facility that include civilian and military sides. Iran has been key in arming and supporting President Bashar Assad in his country's long civil war.

The attack Tuesday shut the Aleppo airport, with Syria's Foreign Ministry describing it as a "double crime" as it targeted a civilian airport and a main channel for the flow of aid to areas hit by last month's earthquake.

Since the Feb. 6, earthquake that hit Turkiye and Syria and killed more than 50,000 people, including about 6,000 in Syria, scores of flights carrying aid from different countries have landed at the Aleppo airport.

Authorities say relief flights now have been diverted to airports in Damascus and Latakia.

Syria's state-run SANA news agency, citing the country's transportation minister, said Thursday the airport would reopen on Friday and be available for earthquake relief flights "around the clock."

On Wednesday, a UN official overseeing relief efforts in Syria asked that "all feasible precautions" be taken "to spare civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of hostilities."

"The impact of this closure impedes humanitarian access and could have drastic humanitarian consequences for millions of people who have been affected by the earthquake," El-Mostafa Benlamlih said. "Even more so, it could have adverse effects on the wider vulnerable population in need of humanitarian assistance."

The office of Israel's prime minister declined to comment Thursday when reached by the AP.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.