Iran trying to open front against Israel in Syria

Jerusalem: A senior Israeli official accused Iran on Sunday of trying to open a second war front by deploying weapons in or through Syria as Israel steps up a counter-offensive in Gaza to the south, Jerusalem Post reported.

Responding to a post on the X social-media platform that posited such a scenario, Joshua Zarka, the head of strategic affairs for Israel's Foreign Ministry, said: "They (Iranians) are", Jerusalem Post reported.

The original post also said "the Israelis are determined to prevent" such developments. To that, Zarka responded: "We are".

Alleged Israeli airstrikes targeted the international airports in Aleppo and Damascus, putting both out of service on Thursday, according to Syrian state media.

According to the reports, the strikes targeted the runways at the airports, Jerusalem Post reported.

During the strikes, an Iranian Mahan Air flight that was about to land in Syria turned back to Tehran. Mahan Air has been shown to transport weapons, operatives, and funds for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah.

The Damascus International Airport and the Aleppo International Airport are frequently used by Iran to transfer weapons, equipment, and operatives to its proxies in the region, including Hezbollah, Jerusalem Post reported.