Russia calls on Israel to stop aerial attacks on Syria
Russia warned Israel against turning Syria into a battleground for proxy wars.
Moscow is “extremely worried” about continued Israeli airstrikes on targets in Syrian, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday, arguing that the attacks are worsening conditions on the ground.
“Israel’s continuing strikes against targets inside Syria cause deep concern. They are a crude violation of Syria’s sovereignty and may trigger a sharp escalation of tensions,” Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Ministry, said in a statement to Russian state media.
Russia was completely against any attempts to turn Syria into a battleground for proxy wars, Zakharova added, urging Israel to “abstain from any such military actions”.
The statement came following airstrikes launched on targets in Syria by Israel on Wednesday.
In a rare Israeli acknowledgment, the Israeli Air Force announced on Twitter that the strikes were allegedly a response to an anti-aircraft missile launched from Syrian territory into Israeli airspace, which reportedly exploded in mid-air.
Israeli armed forces struck surface-to-air missile targets within Syria, including radar and anti-aircraft batteries that were allegedly used to target Israeli military.
According to the Syrian regime, the airstrikes resulted in the death of one soldier and the injury of five others at the strike site at an undisclosed military location in southern Syria.
Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since 2015, teaming up with Iran to help Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime reclaim control over most of the country after a devastating civil war.
Source: The New Arab
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