Passengers walk past a thermal scanner, at Damascus International Airport, in Syria, March 9, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Omar Sanadiki.

Syria halted flights to and from Damascus International Airport on Friday, the transport ministry said, a few hours after Israeli air strikes hit south of the capital.

A Syrian military official quoted by the state news agency said Syrian air defenses intercepted the Israeli missiles, downing most of them, but that the early morning attack caused one civilian injury and some material damage.

Cham Wings Airline, a private Syrian carrier, said it was rerouting all its flights to Aleppo International Airport.

The transport ministry’s statement did not refer to the Israeli attack but cited technical reasons for the airport’s shutdown.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday the Israeli bombing had damaged the runway after targeting “warehouses of Iranian militias” near the airport.

An Israeli military spokesperson declined comment.

For several years, Israel has been attacking what it has described as Iranian-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran-backed forces, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have deployed to help President Bashar al-Assad.