Israeli airstrikes hit Damascus and Aleppo airports, 1 killed

Damascus: The Syrian state news agency has reported air strikes targeting the country’s two main international airports in the early hours of Sunday, killing one worker and injuring another.

"At approximately 5:25 a.m. today, the Israeli enemy simultaneously carried out an air aggression with bursts of missiles from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea, west of Latakia, and from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting the international airports of Damascus and Aleppo," the agency reported, citing a military source.

It added that damage to the runways at both airports had put them out of service and that air traffic was being diverted to the city of Latakia.

It is the second time simultaneous strikes have hit the airports since this month's conflict between Israel and Hamas began.

Israel's Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces on Sunday announced the expansion of a state-funded evacuation plan for communities in northern areas close to the border with Lebanon, CNN reported.

It applies to 14 additional communities including Snir, Dan, Beit Hillel, She'ar Yashuv, Hagoshrim, Liman, Matzuva, Eylon, Goren, Gornot HaGalil, Even Menachem, Sasa, Tziv'on and Ramot Naftali.

The IDF and other agencies on Monday announced a plan to evacuate 28 communities living within 2 km (1.24 miles) of the Lebanese border. Since then, it has included towns that fall within the vicinity.

As of Friday, around 1,23,000 civilians had been evacuated from their homes in northern and southern Israel.

With inputs from IANS