Five troops were killed and property was damaged in an airstrike by Israel on Syrian International Airport amid a potential Cholera outbreak. Other facilities in southern Damascus were also targeted.
According to a statement from the defense office yesterday, Syrian air defenses detected the strike and were able to shoot down the majority of the rockets.
It was not immediately clear whether the strike had an impact on the airport in Damascus’ ability to conduct flights.
The airport and other facilities in southern Damascus were the, according to the defense ministry statement. An anonymous military informed the local media in Syria that “the aggression led to the death of five soldiers and some material damage.”
According to regional political and intel agencies, Tel Aviv has increased its airstrikes on Syrian transportation infrastructure in an effort to thwart Tehran’s growing reliance on aerial supply channels to transport weapons to partners in the region.
Three soldiers were murdered last month after an Israeli air raid in the Southern Tartous and near the capital. Israeli airstrikes in June forced the airport in Damascus to close for over a fortnight.
Israeli airstrikes have specifically targeted Aleppo airport in the last month for two times. Israel has admitted carrying out hundreds of assaults in Syria, which it has claimed are vital to stop Iran, a competing regional power, from establishing a presence on its borders, while seldom commenting on specific attacks.
Tehran views air transportation as a more dependable way to deliver military supplies to its soldiers and allies fighting in Syria. After land transportation was hampered by an ongoing civil conflict, it became more relevance.
At the same time, the United Nations warns that a cholera epidemic is continuing to pose a “serious threat” to the population in Syria and the surrounding area.
Cholera; Water Infrastructure Devastation
The Cholera Outbreak is thought to be related to crop cultivation with tainted water, according to a statement from the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria. Additionally, the infection is spread to those who consume from the Euphrates River, which flows from Turkey to Iraq.
Since the 2011 uprisings in Syria, many have died and millions have been forced into homelessness. Syria was divided into rival zones of authority as a result of the civil war that the demonstrations turned into, attracting other forces.
Over 20% of the 936 instances documented between August 25 and September 10 came from Deir Az Zor, but at least 70 percent came from Aleppo. Other probable infections are said to have occurred in Hassakeh, Raqqa, Latakia, and Hama.
WHO regional emergency coordinator in the region reported that the organization has identified eight cases of the infection in three weeks. “This is the first confirmed cholera outbreak in recent years … the geographic spread gives cause for concern and so we have to move fast,” Richard Brennan explained.
There were 20 recorded infections in Aleppo, four in Latakia, and two in the capital until Tuesday.
According to the UN, the outbreak highlighted “Serious water problems” across Syria. As a result of the nation’s water supply being destroyed during more than ten years of conflict, a large portion of the population relies on dangerous waterways.
Drought-like circumstances that have resulted in falling water levels along the River have deteriorated the condition. Farm owners have also attributed the decline in flow to Turkish water regulations.
The WHO, according to Brennan, is pleading with donors to raise money. The organization was already coping with a number of cholera outbreaks in the area, including one in Pakistan that was made worse by floods.
