Russia: Israel air strikes on Syria 'unacceptable', could lead to regional conflict

Russia has condemned Israeli air strikes on Syria as “unacceptable”, warning that they could risk the spread of Israel’s war on Gaza to the wider region.

According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a call with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad on Tuesday in which he stressed Moscow’s opposition to Israel’s increased strikes on Syria in recent weeks amid Tel Aviv’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, its war against Palestinian resistance group Hamas, and ìts indiscriminate killing of the Strip’s civilian population.

Lavrov warned against any actions that could provoke an escalation in the “current explosive situation”, and stated that “the spread of the armed escalation to Syria and other countries of the region is impermissible.”

The Foreign Ministry readout added:

In that regard, [Lavrov] noted the unacceptability of Israeli air strikes on Syrian territory, which have become more frequent against the backdrop of events in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has for many years carried out strikes on Syria, targeting sites and facilities belonging to the Assad regime and Iran-backed militias in an alleged attempt to stem arms transfers to groups such as Hezbollah. With the assault on Gaza, however, those strikes have intensified as Tel Aviv apparently aims to carry out preventative measures against what it claims to be Iran’s leading of the Palestinian resistance in the region.

READ: Iran FM warns US, Israel of regional spillover ‘any minute’ over Gaza war