4 air strikes hit military airport in Syria's Idlib in first attack since al-Assad's fall

Idlib: Four airstrikes hit the Abu al-Zuhour military airport in the eastern countryside of Idlib on Tuesday, marking the first reported attack on the strategic facility since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024.

The aircraft involved have not been officially identified. The identity of the attackers remained unconfirmed.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or the extent of damage at the base.

The attack comes amid heightened regional tensions and continued Israeli military activity inside Syria. Israel has maintained positions in territory seized after Assad's overthrow and has carried out repeated strikes and incursions, citing security concerns.

Why Abu al-Zuhour matters

Abu al-Zuhour, also known as Abu al-Duhur, has long been a strategically important military installation in northeastern Idlib.

The Syrian army captured the airport from opposition forces in January 2018, after losing control of it to rebels in 2015.

During the final offensive against Assad in late 2024, rebel forces again seized the facility as the former government rapidly lost territory.

The airport subsequently came under the control of forces aligned with Syria's new authorities.

Its location also makes it significant for monitoring military movements across northern Syria.

Several other airports in Syria have previously been targeted, including Aleppo International Airport, Nayrab military airport, al-Shairat airport in Homs, and the airports at Tiyas and al-Dab'a in central Syria.

However, Abu al-Zuhour had not been targeted since the fall of the al-Assad regime in December 2024.

Before the regime's fall, Abu al-Zuhour airport was repeatedly caught in firing between Syrian revolutionary factions and forces loyal to the former regime and its militias, with control of the facility changing hands.

The development also comes as former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was sentenced to death in absentia by a criminal court in Damascus on Tuesday, after being convicted of premeditated murder, while Atef Najib, former head of political security in southern Syria's Deraa province, was also sentenced to death after being found guilty of premeditated murder and torture.

Earlier on Monday, Colombia recognised Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, joining the United States as the only other country to formally recognise Israel's annexation of the territory, days after far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella took office.

In a statement issued on Monday, Colombia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the decision was taken against the backdrop of continued instability in the Middle East and what it described as the strategic importance of the Golan Heights to Israel's security.

The ministry added that the announcement was made in accordance with a commitment reached between Colombia and Israel on August 8.

Israel seized most of the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and formally annexed the territory in 1981. The annexation was rejected by most of the international community.

Syria attempted to regain the Golan Heights during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War but failed to retake the territory. The two countries subsequently signed an armistice agreement in 1974. (ANI)