Dozens Arrested in Syria Over Suspected Collaboration with Israel, Group Says
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the arrests include many members of the military and comes as a response to attacks on airports that have been attributed to Israel
Syrian intelligence services have arrested dozens of people this month on suspicion of passing information to Israel, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday.
According to the opposition-affiliated watchdog group, the arrests were ordered by Hezbollah because of recent airstrikes in Syria that were attributed to Israel.
The London-based organization reported that among those arrested were members of Syria’s air force, officers in units near the airports that have been attacked in Aleppo and Damascus, and soldiers deployed in the port city of Tartus who have been interrogated on suspicion of “providing coordinates to Israel.”
Besides these members of the military, 15 civilians were arrested on suspicion of being in contact with hostile actors, the group said. Some have been released, and 27 remain under arrest.
The strike on the international airport in Aleppo on Tuesday damaged on its runways and put the airport out of service. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the attack also heavily damaged storage areas used by Iran-backed militias and other nearby compounds.
Last week, Syria said that Israel had struck the airports in Aleppo and Damascus. According to an intelligence report, the Aleppo strike was likely intended to prevent the landing of a specific Iranian plane and not to put the airport out of operation for an extended period.
