Israel closes Golan airspace after Syria airstrikes

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel closed airspace over the occupied Golan Heights on Saturday in the wake of a U.S.-led airstrike in Syria, according to Israeli media.

Airlines were told that they would not be allowed to fly in the area at altitude over 5,000 feet, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

According to the newspaper, the airspace over the Golan Heights will remain closed until the end of the month.

On Saturday, the U.S., France and Britain launched airstrikes against Syrian regime’s chemical sites in the wake of a suspected chemical attack that killed dozens outside the capital Damascus.

Israeli military sources told Radio Israel that Tel Aviv did not take part in the U.S.-led attacks.

The joint strike came after the White Helmets, a civil defense agency, blamed the Bashar al-Assad regime for the chemical attack, which it said killed 78 civilians and injured hundreds.

Israel has occupied most of the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Middle East War.