Before the war in Syria, airlines like Jazeera Airways and Syrian Air flew to destinations such as Damascus, Aleppo, Bahrain and Kuwait.

On October 15, 2012, heavy artillery and missiles strikes, originating in the airport, hit the city.

[3] During the night of 6 December 2014, ISIL took control over the missile battalion to the northeast of the airport and stormed the airbase itself,[4] but failed to seize it.

On 5 September 2017, Syrian special operations Tiger Forces and 17th Division troops started an offensive[5] to eventually capture Thardeh Mountains (under the control of ISIL fighters since CJTF-OIR forces had conducted the September 2016 Deir ez-Zor air raid upon then-besieged Syrian Army soldiers) and lift ISIL's siege of the airport.

[7][8] Russia's Defense Ministry said the lifting of the siege had followed ″a massive airstrike by Russian Aerospace Forces″.