World
10:03, 27-Dec-2018
Russia says Israeli airstrikes in Syria threatened civilian flights
Updated
09:06, 30-Dec-2018
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Moscow accused Israel on Wednesday of violating Syrian sovereignty and endangering two Russian civilian flights when it launched air strikes on the war-torn country the day before.
"We are very concerned by the attacks and how they were made. This is a gross violation of the sovereignty of Syria," the Russian ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.
The ministry of defense added that the Israeli missile strikes in Syria on Tuesday had directly threatened two civilian flights.
The ministry did not specify which flights had been threatened, but said Syrian air defenses had destroyed 14 of 16 Israeli missiles launched against unspecified targets near Damascus.
Three Syrian soldiers were injured in the strikes, Syrian state media reported.
(From L): Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu shake hands after Syria talks in Geneva, Switzerland, December 18, 2018. /VCG Photo
(From L): Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu shake hands after Syria talks in Geneva, Switzerland, December 18, 2018. /VCG Photo
The Israeli military declined to comment on the reported missile strikes and the Russian allegations.
Russian defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement that Tuesday's attack came over Lebanese territory as "two airliners, not from Russia, were preparing to land at the airports of Beirut and Damascus."
One of the planes was redirected to a Russian airbase within Syria, he said, denouncing "the provocative actions of the Israeli air force."
Moscow is an ally of Damascus and its intervention in Syria's civil war in 2015 was seen as key to propping up President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
The strikes come a week after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of American troops from Syria.
Experts say Israel is to be greatly affected by a U.S. pull-out, as it would leave the area open to arch-enemy Iran, a key ally of al-Assad, and its partners to develop their military capacity.
(Top picture: Missile fire is seen from Damascus, Syria, May 10, 2018. /VCG Photo)
Source(s): AFP
,Reuters