Huge explosion hit International Damascus Airport

Huge explosion has been witnessed near International Damascus Airport on early Thursday, as the reason behind the explosion has not been formally announced. According to a number of media channels, the explosion came as a result of Israeli raids targeting a military site related to Hezbollah, while other channels attributed the explosion to the bombing of a gas pipeline.

"The blast was huge and could be heard in Damascus," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Damascus International Airport lies about 25 kilometres southeast of Syria`s capital. 

The Britain-based Observatory, which gathers information from sources across war-ravaged Syria, said it had confirmed the explosion had not taken place inside the airport itself. "It`s unclear what caused the explosion, but there fires raging at the site," Abdel Rahman said. 

More than 320,000 people have been killed since Syria`s conflict erupted in 2011 with widespread anti-government protests. While Damascus has remained relatively insulated from the violence, fierce fighting has raged on the outskirts of the capital in recent months between rebel groups and government forces. 

Clashes have been erupted in the surrounding area of Syria’s Jober district in the eastern area of Syrian capital Damascus, as the Syrian opposition managed to destroy a tank possessed by the Syrian government. They also killed four elements loyal to Assad’s regime and injured dozens of them. Meanwhile, the governmental troops attempted to achieve advance in the industrial zone controlled by the opposition in coincidence with the bombardment of the districts of Jober, Teshreen and Qabon with missiles and mortar shells.

In Damascus’ countryside, the opposition factions managed to control Tel Dakwa from the grip of ISIS extremist group, as the governmental troops launched artillery attack against the towns of Erbeen, Ein Torma, and Zorikeya with no information over humanitarian losses. They also shelled a number of districts, including Assad district Jesreen village with no information about humanitarian losses. The governmental fighter jets threw bombing barrels on Al Daher Al Aswad area in Beit Al Jen town.

Elements of Tahrir Al Sham group attacked a number of sites controlled by Hezbollah in the western side of Qalamon, as they used heavy weapons and machine guns against the militants loyal to Assad’s regime. The attack led to the killing and injury of a large number of militants.

In Aleppo, the air force launched air raids on the city of Adnan and its outskirts in the northern countryside, resulting in injuries. The neighborhoods of Hurriyetan, Asia region and the town of Kfarhamra exposed to artillery shelling by regime forces, without reports of any injuries. In the western countryside, warplanes launched a raid on the city of Dar Azza, leaving many civilians injured, including children, in the town of Qabtan al-Jabal after a very violent missile attack. The town of Sheikh Aqeel was subjected to similar shelling. 

The air force also launched air raids on the town of Maskana in the eastern countryside targeted the cultural center, the municipality building and the vicinity of the Women's Arts Academy without giving details of any injuries.

In Idlib, the Russian warplanes targeted the area of ​​Jabal al-Duwailah west of the city of Kuftakharim in the midnight, resulting in the martyrdom of 14 people, and the fall of many of the wounded. The civil defense teams went to the place and wounded the wounded and recovered the martyrs from the rubble.

The cities and towns of Maara al-Nu'man, Khan Shaykhun, Kafr Nabal, Tirmala, Naqir, Mar'and, Ksafra, Basnul, Ma'arand, Kermara and Ma'arbalit were heavily bombed by Russian warplanes using cluster bombs, while the Baddama-Hambushiya road in the western countryside and the outskirts of the southern town of Svohan were shelled. He was wounded by an explosive device on the road to the town of Ma'ra Misrin.

In the province of Daraa, the air force launched air raids on the districts of Daraa al-Balad and the city of Busra al-Sham, while the towns of Giza and Ayadoudeh and the area between the city of Hara and the towns of Zumrin and Aqraba came under intermittent artillery shelling, while the fighters of the opposition factions combed the strongholds of the army of Khaled bin Walid, belonging to IS organization, on the outskirts of the town of Adwan in the western countryside.