Israel airstrikes in Aleppo target airport, defense factories: Social media

By Esref Musa

ANKARA (AA) - Israel reportedly carried out an airstrike early Friday on an airport and defense factories in northwestern Aleppo province.

Social media accounts close to the Syrian government said Israeli warplanes carried out the strikes in the town of Sefire.

It was reported that air defense systems belonging to the Syrian army responded.

Neither Israel nor the Syrian government have issued statements on the attack.

According to the Syrian state news agency SANA, the early morning attack resulted in casualties among both civilians and military personnel.

A Syrian military official informed SANA that around 1.45 a.m. on Friday (2245GMT Thursday), Israel conducted an airstrike from the direction of Athriya, southeast of Aleppo, adding that "civilians and military personnel" had been killed and wounded in the strike.

Similar claims were made on March 17 by the social media accounts saying that Israeli warplanes targeted multiple locations in the Kalamon region.

Since the start of the civil war in 2011, Israel has occasionally carried out attacks on airports in Aleppo and Damascus as well as on military positions belonging to Iranian-backed groups and the Syrian army.