Fighting near Damascus Airport but Flights Resumed
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Fighting between rebels and troops raged around Damascus airport through the night but the main road to the capital had reopened and the airport was functioning normally on Friday, various sources said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the main road to Damascus from the airport, which was closed Thursday due to the fighting, had reopened but said a bus carrying airport employees had been hit by a shell, killing two people.
A security source confirmed the deaths, blaming rebels for the shelling.
An airport source in Damascus told AFP that air traffic and passenger boarding was normal on Friday. EgyptAir and Emirates had on Thursday announced suspension of flights due to the fighting, which closed the main road to the airport.
"(On Thursday) we sent a telegram to the foreign companies still working in Syria and SyrianAir (the national carrier) to inform them of the status of the road to the airport so they would cancel their flights to Damascus," the source told AFP.
"Today after the road was secured, we sent a new telegram to inform them that security was restored," she added.
Flights were boarding although none had yet taken off nor had any arrived.
"For the moment, we have not had any arrivals, but the airport is operating normally," she said.
The Local Coordination Committees, a network of activists on the ground, said that during the night rebels bombed the Harran al-Awamid military barracks, which is responsible for protecting the airport.
It also reported fierce fighting along stretches on the 27 kilometer (17 mile) road linking Damascus to the airport.
"After strong clashes, rebels were able to take control of a part of the airport road between the second and fourth bridge," it said.
State television had on Thursday night quoted the information ministry as saying that the Damascus airport road had been "secured" after military intervention.
A military source in Damascus said that the army had taken control of the western side of the road leading to the airport and a small portion on the east by dawn, allowing travelers to move through.
"But the most difficult part is yet to come. The army wants to take control of the eastern side, where there are thousands of terrorists and this will take several days," he said, using the term regime officials use to describe rebel fighters.
