Damascus, "massive" explosion near the airport. Suspicions of an Israeli airraid

The blast, also felt in the capital, enveloped a fuel tank and some warehouses near the airport. According to al-Manar it was caused by an Israeli air raid. Hezbollah logistics facilities in in Syria damaged. No victims or injured.


Damascus (AsiaNews / Agencies) - An explosion hit an area near the Damascus International Airport overnight. The blast was also felt in the capital, creating panic among the population. Local witnesses report that a fuel tank and some warehouses near the airport were targeted.

Sources speaking to Lebanese al-Manar, close to Hezbollah, say that Israel is behind the raid that caused the explosion.

Ramirez Abdel Rahman, director of the London based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, close to the Saudi-opposition, emphasizes that "the explosion was enormous and was also felt in Damascus."

The stop is about 25 km east of the capital. Following the explosion, a powerful fire broke out, causing material damage. On the other hand, so far there is no news of victims and wounded.

Officially, there is no official information on the matrix of the attack or responsability.

The al-Manar correspondent reports that the explosion was "at dawn" and is "likely" the result of an Israeli air raid that targeted logistics structures of Lebanese Shiite militias supporting Syrian President Bashar al- Assad.

There has been no comment, however, from Israel. Israeli broadcaster Channel 10 spoke to military sources, who did not want to issue official statements.

Since 2011, Syria has been caught in the grip of a bloody war, which has caused more than 320,000 casualties and millions of displaced people, triggering an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy. Even today, over six years from the beginning, there are no visible political solutions to the war and a widespread and lasting peace that gives relief to the population.

Unlike other cities such as Aleppo, Idlib and Homs, Damascus has been (largely) spared violence.  However, in recent months there have been fights and outbreaks of tension in some peripheral areas of the Syrian capital between the government and the militia.