Over the years, Israel has repeatedly accused Iran of smuggling weapons and missile development systems from Tehran to the Lebanese terrorist representative Hezbollah using flights through Syria. More recently, an Israeli-speaking spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces claimed that the son-in-law of the assassinated commander of the Kunds Force in Iran, Qassem Suleimani, was behind such operations on civilian flights to Damascus. Relatively large weapons are believed to be smuggled through Syria to Iranian cargo airlines, which often land at Damascus International and at the Tiyas or T-4 air base outside the central Syrian city of Palmyra. The weapons are then believed to be stored in warehouses in the area before being transported by truck to Lebanon. In response, Israel has reportedly hit the T-4 runway in the past. Most recently, in rocket attacks in April and May, a section of Damascus International near a military base was damaged in a way that shortened the length of a runway to prevent large planes from landing. But last month, Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army’s spokesman in Arabic, accused Iran and Hezbollah of “endangering civilians” by smuggling “advanced weapons” through political flights to Damascus. The weapons Adraee referred to are believed to be GPS components mounted on locally made missiles in Lebanon. Get the Times of Israel Daily E-mail and never miss our top stories By registering, you agree to the terms The IDF has previously published details of underground locations in Lebanon that it claims were used to convert simple missiles to guided missiles using Iranian components. The devices are relatively small and can obviously be smuggled through Syria into the luggage compartment of scheduled civilian flights from Tehran, as in the case of Suleimani’s son-in-law. Damage was observed at Damascus International Airport in Syria, following an air raid attributed to Israel, June 12, 2022. (SANA) Israel realized that its attacks until Friday’s strike had not prevented the transfer of Iranian weapons components to Lebanon, according to military sources quoted by Channel 12 News this weekend. The report said that Israel was blocking about 70 percent of the smuggling and had decided to further intensify its action, which included the amputation of the airport in the Syrian capital. This photo, released by ImageSat International on June 10, 2022, shows Damascus International Airport in Syria following an airstrike attributed to Israel. (ImageSat International) The closure of Damascus airport in the latest Israeli strike on Friday morning will prevent all commercial and political flights from Tehran and elsewhere for the time being. Most flights are now being redirected to Aleppo airport, and it remains to be seen whether Iran will attempt to smuggle weapons in there as well, until Damascus airport is repaired. The Syrian Ministry of Transport initially said the airport would be closed for two days after “some technical equipment stopped operating at the airport”. In a later statement, he said the airport would be closed for longer, citing “significant damage” to runways and the second terminal building. On Sunday, state broadcaster SANA aired footage of repairs. Repair work is shown at Damascus International Airport in Syria, following an air raid on Israel on June 12, 2022. (SANA) Israel has not made any official comment on the incident, according to its long-standing policy. But in an obvious report, IDF chief Aviv Kohavi said during a Sunday conference that in a possible war, “any national infrastructure that supports terrorism is under attack.” Smoke rises on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, on October 30, 2021, after what the Syrian state media reported was an Israeli strike. (AP Photo / Omar Sanadiki) Russia, meanwhile, attacked Israel on Friday, saying it had condemned the “vicious practice” of Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure, which it said was “provocative” and “violates basic rules of international law”. But even before this unusually bitter condemnation, Israel was at odds with Russia as it increasingly supported Ukraine while seeking to maintain freedom of movement in the Russian-controlled skies of Syria. However, Israeli officials have vowed to continue the campaign to prevent Hezbollah and other groups on Israel’s northern border from arming themselves with advanced and accurate weapons, regardless of Russian disapproval or Iran’s apparent attempts to circumvent its actions. . The latest strike seems to prove just that. It is not (only) for you. Times of Israel support is not a transaction for an online service such as subscribing to Netflix. The ToI community is reaching out to people like you who are interested in a common good: ensuring that Israel’s balanced, responsible coverage continues to be available to millions around the world, free of charge. Of course, we will remove all ads from your page and give you access to some amazing community-only content. But your support gives you something deeper than that: the pride of being involved in something that really matters. Join the community Times of Israel Join our community Already a member? 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