International flights resumed at the Damascus International Airport in Syria's capital on Tuesday in a milestone moment for the recovery from the political turmoil in the country in December.
The Syrian News Agency reported on Tuesday that a plane carrying 145 passengers took off from the Damascus International Airport in Syria on the day and flew to Sharjah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, marking the resumption of international flights at the airport.
On Nov 27, 2024, a militant alliance led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group waged a major offensive from northern Syria. Following territorial gains, including the capture of the capital Damascus, the alliance declared the end of President Bashar al-Assad's rule on Dec 8.
Airports in Damascus, Aleppo and other places in Syria temporarily suspended operations due to the conflict. On Dec 18, domestic flights resumed at the Damascus International Airport.
International flight operations resume at Damascus International Airport
A group of demonstrators gathered in Bulgaria's capital Sofia on Monday to protest against U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The protesters rallied with signs reading "Do not engage war in Iran" and "We do not welcome U.S. military aircraft", to show solidarity with Iran.
"No one has the right to launch an attack on a sovereign country or interfere in its decisions," said Kostadin Kostadinov, chairman of the Bulgarian Revival party, while delivering a speech at the rally.
"The U.S. military equipment should not be brought to Bulgarian territory and the territory cannot be used in any form for military operation against Iran. We demand the U.S. military planes to immediately leave Bulgarian territory. This is not our war. The Iranian people are not our enemy. Iran is not our enemy," Petar Nikolaev Petrov, deputy chairman of the Bulgarian Revival party, said in his speech.
Several U.S. military planes have been deployed at Sofia Airport in recent days, though the Bulgarian government denied that they were linked to U.S. military operations.
The U.S. and Israel on Saturday launched strikes against Iran, plunging the war-torn Middle East into a new round of violence. Iran has retaliated with a series of counterattacks against Israel and U.S. targets across the region.
Protesters rally in Bulgaria against US-Israeli strikes on Iran
