Damascus airport rocked by several explosions, Syria blames airstrike on Israel

DAMASCUS, Syria - The airport in Syrian capital city of Damascus witnessed several explosions on Thursday, that set of large fires and led to a diplomatic war of words in the Middle East.

According to a monitoring group, the massive explosion struck near Damascus International Airport, while the cause was not immediately specified. 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the blast was outside the airport and that it was not immediately clear whether it was the result of an air strike or a ground attack.

Head of the U.K.-based Observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman said, “The blast was huge. It's unclear what caused the explosion but there are fires raging at the site.”

However, the explosions is said to have blown up fuel tanks and a warehouse and the Syrian government and rebels have blamed it on Israel.

A high-ranking Israeli military officer briefed reporters and said that approximately 100 missiles intended for Hezbollah had been destroyed in the raid.

Regional intelligence sources revealed that the strikes targeted a depot that handles a significant volume of weapons sent by air Iran.

Further, the source noted that many of the arms are destined for an array of Iran-backed militias, led by Hezbollah, which have thousands of fighters engaged in some of the toughest fronts against Syrian rebels. 

In a statement on Hezbollah's Al-Manar television, officials said the explosion was 'probably' caused by an Israeli airstrike.

While Al-Manar said the strike caused only material damage, the report stated that an explosion struck at dawn in fuel tanks and a warehouse near Damascus International Airport.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Israeli Army Radio, Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said, “I can confirm that the incident in Syria corresponds completely with Israel's policy to act to prevent Iran's smuggling of advanced weapons via Syria to Hezbollah in Iran. Naturally, I don't want to elaborate on this. The prime minister has said that whenever we receive intelligence that indicated an intention to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah, we will act.”

Further, Yoav Galant, the Israeli construction minister declined to confirm the strikes. 

He said in a statement, “Our enemies must know: We will know to use our power to protect out interests by ourselves.”

State-run Syrian news agency Sana meanwhile said that Israel had carried out missile strikes on the airport. 

It however, did not specify what had been hit. 

Israeli warplanes have previously struck the airport and other bases around the capital, however, the country’s policy is to not make a statement on such strikes.

The country has argued that it was targeting weapons stockpiles and preventing it from reaching its Lebanese enemy, Hezbollah.

The Shiite group, Hezbollah is currently allied with Iran and is fighting in Syria, alongside forces loyal to the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

In 2006, Israel fought a war with the group across the Lebanese-Israeli border that lasted more than a month, killing 1,200 people in Lebanon, mainly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

Earlier, Israeli officials had warned that any movement of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah units in Syria as a 'red line' that would prompt the country to carry out airstrikes or artillery fire.

Further, breaking convention last month - Israel confirmed that it had carried out several strikes near the Syrian desert city of Palmyra, targeting what it said were “advanced weapons” belonging to Hezbollah.

In response, the Syrian government fired antiaircraft missiles at Israeli jets. 

These, Israel said were shot down by the country’s new antimissile system called Arrow that had reportedly been deployed for the first time. 

This was said to be one of the most serious exchanges between the neighbours since the start of the Syrian civil war six years ago.

In May last year, an explosion reportedly killed a senior Hezbollah commander, Mustafa Badreddine.

The explosion was widely believed to have been carried out by Israel in Damascus airport’s military section, where both Hezbollah and Iran maintain a military office for those assisting with the Syrian civil war. 

Israel is also said to have led attacks on Hezbollah and Syrian military targets in southern Syria, to prevent the militant group from advancing along the boundary between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. 

On Thursday, commenting on the strikes, British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson said that his country was likely to agree to any American request to assist in strikes on Syria.

Johnson suggested that military action could receive a nod, possibly without consulting British lawmakers too.

As the U.K. prepares to leave the European Union, it is seeking to build closer ties with Washington.