Israel lifts restriction, allowing night landings at Damascus and Aleppo airports

The Syrian General Authority for Civil Aviation and Transport announced that its new ILS/DME and DVOR/DME navigation aids are now functional, opening Damascus and Aleppo International Airports to night and low-visibility flights. Previously, Israel had threatened to down the calibration aircraft needed to certify the systems, citing security concerns from its proximity to the Syrian capital after expanding its control to Mount Hermon.

Syrian officials adjusted the calibration flight radius from 50 km to 25 km, after which Israel did not object, effectively ending the blockade. Earlier this year Israel also opposed the deployment of a Turkish-produced HTRS-100 radar at Damascus, calling it a potential limitation on its air-space freedom. The de-escalation may be linked to diplomatic efforts after a recent Israeli strike on a Syrian base near Turkey, which prompted U.S. envoy Tom Barrack to push for a trilateral deconfliction mechanism and the appointment of a charge d’affaires to Israel’s embassy in Ankara.