BEIRUT, March 7. /TASS/. Israel’s airstrike on Aleppo International Airport has paralyzed one of the main channels for delivering humanitarian aid to Syrians affected by the recent earthquakes, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement published by the SANA news agency on Tuesday.
"This attack is a double crime, because, on the one hand, it targeted a civilian airport, while, on the other hand, it hit one of the primary channels for delivering humanitarian aid to victims of the deadly February 6 earthquake, both from other regions of Syria and from abroad," the statement said.
The Foreign Ministry noted that this act of aggression was the latest reflection of Israel’s "worst forms of barbarism and inhumanity," as well as its practice of [committing] "outrageous violations of international law, including humanitarian law." In addition, Damascus warned Israel about the consequences of such crimes and called on the international community to condemn them.
Late on Tuesday, Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on Aleppo International Airport, knocking the facility out of commission, SANA reported earlier. In this regard, the Syrian Transport Ministry decided to redirect all flights, including those delivering humanitarian aid for victims of the recent earthquakes, to airports in Damascus and Latakia.
On February 6, earthquakes with a magnitude 7.7 and 7.6, respectively, hit Turkey and Syria. According to the Syrian Health Ministry, 1,414 people died and 2,349 were injured in the disaster. According to the Reconciliation Center for Syria, 3,513 people died and 7,396 were injured on Damascus-controlled territory. There is no confirmed data, however, on victims, injuries and damages in territory not under the control of the government in Damascus, but representatives of illegal militias operating in Syria’s northwest reported over 2,000 victims to Arab world media outlets.