Israel bombs Iranian weapons-loaded aircraft in Syria

By Osama Ghassani

JERUSALEM

Airstrikes by Israeli forces destroyed a Boeing plane loaded with Iranian weapons, hours after it landed at the Damascus International Airport, media reports said Sunday.

Israel's Channel 2 reported that Israeli jets also hit weapon stores at the airport hangars.

The channel citing unnamed sources said the Israeli army declined to comment on the issue.

The weapons were supposed to be delivered to the Syrian regime or its pro-Tehran Shia allies, the report said.

The Syrian News Agency (SANA) confirmed that Israel bombed the Damascus airport on Saturday evening.

"Our air defenses responded to an Israeli missile attack on Damascus International Airport and dropped a number of rockets," the agency quoted an unnamed military source as saying, without giving further details.

In recent months, Israel has admitted to striking a number of Iranian targets inside Syrian territory.

Israel frequently accuses Tehran of exploiting the conflict in neighboring Syria -- where Iran supports the Assad regime -- to establish a permanent military presence near Israel’s border.