Israeli airstrikes late Monday night on the Aleppo region of north Syria killed one soldier, injured seven people, including two civilians, and closed the airport there, according to official media.

“At around 11:35 pm (2035 GMT)… the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack with several missiles… targeting Aleppo international airport and a number of sites in the vicinity of Aleppo,” state news agency SANA said, citing a military source.

“A soldier was killed and seven people were wounded including two civilians,” SANA said, reporting “material losses” and that “Aleppo airport was put out of service”.

A weapons store caught fire as a result of “a number of explosions in the area of Aleppo international airport and the Nayrab military airfield in Aleppo province,” according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

According to the British war monitor, “heavy material damage at both airports” has occurred.

Furthermore, it stated that “Israeli missiles fell on defence factories in the Safireh area” of the Aleppo province, “causing material damage.”

Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian territory during the course of the country’s more than ten-year conflict, mostly focusing on Iranian-backed troops, Lebanese Hezbollah combatants, and Syrian army locations.

While Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, it has repeatedly said it will not allow its arch-foe Iran to extend its footprint in the war-torn country.

Iran-backed militias have a heavy presence in the Aleppo region after providing key ground support to the army in its recapture of rebel-held districts of the city in 2016.

On 22 March, an Israeli missile strike destroyed a suspected arms depot used by Iran-backed militias at Aleppo airport, the Observatory said at the time, with authorities saying that the raid put the airport out of service.

On 7 March, three people were killed in an Israeli strike on the airport that also brought air traffic to a halt.

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