Russia condemns Israel missile strikes on Syria

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday condemned Israeli missile strikes on Syria, Reuters reported.

Lavrov was speaking at a joint news conference alongside his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad.

Russia is a key backer of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and his government.

“We strongly condemned the dangerous practice of Israeli strikes on Syrian territory,” Lavrov said.

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“We demand that Israel respect the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and, above all, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria,” he added.

Israel struck Iranian targets in a series of strikes in August; 14 near Al-Assad’s ancestral home region and also close to Russia’s main Syrian bases on the Mediterranean coast, regional intelligence and Syrian military sources said.

Israel has spoken out against Moscow sending troops into Ukraine and bilateral tensions have grown in recent months.

Russian authorities have since opened an investigation into the Russian branch of the Jewish Agency, which promotes emigration to Israel.