Blast followed by fire reported near Damascus airport

by WorldTribune Staff, April 27, 2017

Israel’s intelligence minister hinted that Israeli warplanes struck a suspected Hizbullah weapons depot near Damascus International Airport on April 27.

Frame grab from video provided by Ghouta Media Center shows flames rising after an explosion near an airport west of Damascus. /AP

The strike “corresponds completely with Israel’s policy to act to prevent Iran’s smuggling of advanced weapons via Syria to Hizbullah,” Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz told Israeli radio.

“The prime minister has said that whenever we receive intelligence that indicated an intention to transfer advanced weapons to Hizbullah, we will act,” he added.

Rami Abdur Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the explosion in the early morning hours of April 27 was heard across the capital, jolting residents awake.

Reuters reported that intelligence sources believe the targeted depot handles a significant volume of weapons sent by air from Iran. As many as five strikes are thought to have hit the depot.

Activist-operated Diary of a Mortar, which reports from Damascus, said the explosion near the airport road was followed by flames rising above the area. Pro-government site Damascus Now said the explosion was near the city’s Seventh Bridge, which leads to the airport road.

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