Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Air Strikes Hit Syria's Idlib Airport, First Since Assad's Fall
In a faraway country called Syria, some airplanes dropped bombs on a big military airport.
The airport is called Abu al-Zuhour, and it is in a region named Idlib.
This was the first time the airport was attacked since the country's old leader, Bashar al-Assad, left power in December 2024.
Nobody knows for sure who flew the planes or why they did it.
A judge in Syria's capital, Damascus, said the old leader should be punished for bad things he did.
The judge also said the same about an official named Atef Najib.
Around the same time, a country called Colombia said a piece of land called the Golan Heights belongs to Israel.
Only the United States and Colombia think that; most other countries do not agree.
Countries often disagree about who owns lands that were taken during wars.
Four air strikes hit the Abu al-Zuhour military airport in Idlib province, northern Syria, according to Al Jazeera.
It is the first attack on the facility since Bashar al-Assad's regime fell in December 2024; the aircraft responsible have not been identified.
No official statement about the strikes has been issued.
A Damascus criminal court sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for premeditated murder, and Atef Najib to death for premeditated murder and torture.
Colombia recognised Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, joining the United States as the only other country to do so.
- Who
- Unidentified aircraft struck the airport; a Damascus court sentenced Bashar al-Assad and Atef Najib to death; Colombia, under President Abelardo de la Espriella, recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
- What
- Four air strikes hit the Abu al-Zuhour military airport, the first since Assad's fall, while Assad was sentenced to death in absentia and Colombia recognised the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.
- When
- The exact strike date is not stated; the attacks were the first since December 2024, and the article also reports the Damascus sentencing on Tuesday and Colombia's recognition on Monday.
- Where
- Abu al-Zuhour military airport in the eastern countryside of Idlib province, northern Syria.
- Why
- No official reason was given; the article notes the airport had repeatedly changed hands during fighting between Syrian revolutionary factions and forces loyal to the former regime before Assad's fall.
International community
Colombia and United States
Golan Heights sovereignty
International community
Most of the international community rejects Israel's 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War.
Colombia and United States
Colombia and the United States recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, citing its strategic importance to Israel's security amid continued Middle East instability.
- Target
- Abu al-Zuhour military airport, Idlib province, Syria
- Strikes
- 4 air strikes
- First attack since
- Fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024
- Attacker
- Not identified; no official statement issued
- Assad sentencing
- Death in absentia for premeditated murder, by a criminal court in Damascus on Tuesday
- Atef Najib sentencing
- Death for premeditated murder and torture
- Golan Heights recognition
- Colombia recognised Israeli sovereignty on Monday, joining the United States
- Israel's annexation
- Seized in 1967 Six-Day War, annexed in 1981; rejected by most of the international community