Israel has bombed Damascus airport: Syria

Syria says Israel has bombed its international airport, as the UN envoy to Syria said he'd meet rebel leaders from Aleppo to discuss a freeze in fighting.

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Israeli Air Force F-15I Ra'am jet demonstrating its flight maneuvering abilities while distraction flares illuminate the sky during an air show in Israel (File: EPA/ABIR SULTAN)

Syria has accused Israel of bombing its main international airport as the UN announced talks with rebel leaders on a ceasefire in its war-battered second city of Aleppo.

Israel has launched a series of air strikes inside Syria since the outbreak of the country's armed uprising in 2011, including raids reportedly targeting Iranian rockets bound for Lebanon's Hezbollah.

"This afternoon, the Israeli enemy targeted two safe areas in Damascus province, namely the Dimas area and the Damascus International Airport," the army said in a statement.

It said the strikes caused damage but that nobody was hurt.

Civilian and military aircraft operate at the airport, which is southeast of Damascus near flashpoint areas including Eastern Ghouta, large parts of which are in rebel hands.

There's been no immediate reaction from the Israeli authorities, but the Syrian army reiterated its claim that the Jewish state is helping rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

Later, the Syrian foreign ministry said it had asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Israel, describing the strikes as "a heinous crime against Syria's sovereignty", according to state news agency SANA.

Sunday's violence came as the UN envoy to Syria announced he would meet in Turkey with rebel leaders from Aleppo to discuss a possible freeze in fighting.

Staffan de Mistura "will travel very soon to Gaziantep (in Turkey) to discuss his plan with key rebel groups from Aleppo", his spokeswoman Juliette Touma told AFP.

She did not specify when the talks would take place.


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