Russia: Israel has 'sharply' increased strikes on Syria
Russia accused Israel of violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as the airspace of Iraq and Jordan.
By ANNA AHRONHEIMRussian Foreign Minister Lavrov attends his annual news conference in Moscow(photo credit: SERGEI KARPUKHIN/REUTERS)
The intensity of Israeli airstrikes on Syria have “sharply” increased, adding tension and raising the potential for conflict in the war-torn country, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said following strikes by the Jewish state.Russia accused Israel of violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and other states in the region, and stated that “Such developments are of the most serious concern and are rejected by Moscow."“Israeli actions add tension and increase the conflict potential of the situation around Syria, and are contrary to efforts to normalize the situation and achieve stability in Syria, including a political settlement in this country,” read the statement.On Tuesday morning, Israeli jets struck over 20 Iranian and Syrian targets, including warehouses and command centers, in response to four rockets being fired towards Israel’s Golan Heights the previous morning.According to Moscow, the jets fired 40 cruise missiles at targets, leading to the deaths of dozens of troops and civilians. The British-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said that 23 people had been killed in the strikes, including 16 non-Syrians. A senior Israeli defense official acknowledged that there were wounded and a number of Iranian fatalities.Israel has been carrying out a war-between-wars campaign since 2013, in an attempt to prevent Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, from obtaining advanced weapons to use against the Jewish state and from entrenching themselves in Syria. Thousands of strikes have been carried out over the years in Syria and, according to foreign reports, in neighboring Iraq.Moscow intervened in the Syrian conflict in September 2015 on the side of President Bashar Assad, and Israel and Russia have been using a deconfliction mechanism in place over Syria in order to avoid any unwanted conflict.According to Russia, Israel has struck Syrian territory four times in the past week alone, including a strike against the Damascus home of senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Akram al-Ajouri on November 12. Ajouri, who is responsible for coordination between Gaza and Syria, where the group has its headquarters, survived the strike, which killed his son Muath and wounded his grand-daughter.“The victims of the attack were peaceful Syrian citizens,” the Russian statement said, adding that the strike in central Damascus, where foreign diplomatic missions are located, caused significant damage to property and buildings.Several days later on November 18, the IAF struck targets in the Al-Bukamal region near the Syrian-Iraqi border, “violating the airspace of Iraq and Jordan,” the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed.The next day, four rockets were fired towards Israel. All were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile system. Shortly afterwards, explosions were heard near Damascus Airport after “rockets were fired at targets 18 km. south of the Syrian capital, allegedly in response to the shelling of the Golan Heights from the Syrian side,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.Save for Tuesday’s airstrikes, Israel’s military has not commented on any of the alleged attacks.
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