BEIRUT, October 12. /TASS/. The international airports of Damascus and Aleppo are no longer servicing flights due to damage to their runways from an Israeli air attack, Syria’s SANA news agency reported.

According to the agency's source in the Syrian security agencies, at about 1:50 p.m. (coincides with Moscow Time) the Israeli army launched simultaneous missile strikes on the international airports of Damascus and Aleppo. The shelling caused damage to the airports' runways, putting them out of action.

"This act of aggression is a desperate attempt by the Israeli enemy to divert attention from the crimes it is committing in the Gaza Strip and the heavy losses it is suffering from the Palestinian resistance," said the source who was not identified by the news agency.

Earlier, the Syrian newspaper Al Watan reported that Israel had struck runways at the airports of Damascus and Aleppo. Air defense systems were operating in the vicinity of the airports.

The Israeli attack came amid a worsening situation in the Middle East after armed militants of the Palestinian radical movement Hamas infiltrated Israel from the Gaza Strip. Hamas calls its sortie a response to Israeli actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Israel shifted to a state of readiness for war and launched Operation Iron Swords in retaliation. It also announced a full blockade of the Gaza Strip. The sides continue to exchange rocket strikes, and shelling was also reported on the border with Lebanon. According to the latest data, over 1,300 Palestinians have been killed and over 6,200 wounded. Up to 1,500 Israelis have been killed, with almost 4,000 being wounded as a result of clashes and shelling.