Following Israeli airstrikes on targets around Aleppo and Damascus in Syria, the country’s foreign minister said on Thursday that Israel was "playing with fire."

Israel conducted several airstrikes against the Aleppo International Airport in northwestern Syria, hours before its missiles struck targets southeast of capital Damascus Wednesday night.

According to Syria’s state news agency (SANA), Faisal Mekdad said such attacks by Israel threaten the security of the region, noting that "Israel is playing with fire and is putting the regional military and security situations at risk of an explosion."

"Syria will not remain silent regarding the repeated Israeli attacks and the Israelis will pay the price sooner or later," he warned. 

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria in recent years, mainly targeting alleged weapons convoys or arms depots belonging to Iran-allied fighters. Iran-backed militias established a foothold in Syria while fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad during Syria's civil war.

The Wednesday attacks were the first alleged Israeli airstrikes to target the Aleppo airport since 2019 and the second time Israel targeted a Syrian airport this year. On June 10, Israel bombed the Damascus International Airport, causing the airport to go completely out of service for a period of two weeks.

The airstrikes come less than a week after similar airstrikes targeted the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) in Masyaf, located southwest of Aleppo, reportedly destroying more than 1,000 Iranian-made missiles.