* Gunfire and loud explosions erupted in Niger's capital* Military ruler accuses French, Benin and Ivory Coast* Airlines report aircraft damage on the tarmac(Recast to lead with Niger's military leader) NIAMEY, Jan 29 (Reuters) -Niger's military ruler Abdourahamane Tiani on Thursday blamed French, Benin and Ivory Coast presidents for sponsoring the ‌attack on Niamey international airport, an accusation he made without offering any evidence. The offices of the presidents of ​France, Benin and Ivory Coast could not be immediately reached for comment. Two security sources described the overnight incident to Reuters as a "terrorist attack" and said security had been reinforced around the airport following an internal alert about an imminent attack on the site. They said a store of uranium currently held ‍at the airport had not been affected by the attack. Two more sources confirmed that the uranium was still at ⁠the airport at the time of the incident Wednesday night.