Russia is strongly opposed to US strikes on pro-government forces in Syria and hopes Washington will take measures to prevent such incidents from happening in the future, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday.

Lavrov and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held a phone conversation on Saturday, in which they exchanged views on the current situation in Syria and confirmed their intention to strengthen cooperation in the efforts to resolve the Syrian conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website.

File photo of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at a press conference in Moscow. /VCG Photo

The two countries also agreed to make full use of existing channels, including the Astana and Geneva talks, to promote reconciliation between different parties in Syria.

In May, Russia, Turkey and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of four "de-escalation zones" in Syria's Idlib province, Homs province, Damascus outskirts and southern areas.

However, since mid-May, the international coalition against ISIL led by the United States has entered the "de-escalation zones" multiple times to strike pro-government forces.

A scene of war-torn Syria. /VCG Photo‍

According to Russian media Sputnik, the US-led coalition struck pro-government fighters on May 18 near the town of al-Tanf in the area of an established de-escalation zone. Russia later slammed the move as a violation of international law.

The Pentagon announced on June 6 that the coalition had carried out another strike against Syrian pro-government forces, saying they had entered the de-escalation zone with Russia and posed a threat to its personnel.

(Source: Xinhua)