Russia condemns Israel over Damascus airstrike

Russia condemned the Israeli airstrikes on Damascus International Airport on Friday, official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said in a statement.

“We are compelled to reiterate that the ongoing Israeli shelling of the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, in violation of the basic norms of international law, is absolutely unacceptable. We strongly condemn Israel’s provocative attack on the most important object of the Syrian civilian infrastructure,” Zakharova said.

According to Zakharova, such “irresponsible actions create serious risks for international air traffic and put the lives of innocent people in real danger.”

“We demand from the Israeli side to stop this vicious practice,” the diplomat concluded.
We demand from the Israeli side to stop this vicious practice

Representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova

Syria halted flights to and from Damascus International Airport on Friday, the transport ministry said, a few hours after Israeli air strikes hit south of the capital.

Damascus bombing

A Syrian military official quoted by the state news agency said Syrian air defenses intercepted the Israeli missiles, downing most of them, but that the early morning attack caused one civilian injury and some material damage.

Cham Wings Airline, a private Syrian carrier, said it was rerouting all its flights to Aleppo International Airport.

The transport ministry’s statement did not refer to the Israeli attack but cited technical reasons for the airport’s shutdown.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday the Israeli bombing had damaged the runway after targeting “warehouses of Iranian militias” near the airport.

An Israeli military spokesperson declined comment.

For several years, Israel has been attacking what it has described as Iranian-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran-backed forces, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have deployed to help President Bashar Assad.

Israeli airstrikes

On Monday night, an alleged Israeli airstrike targeted sites south of Damascus.

The Syrian Capital Voice site reported on Tuesday morning that the strike had targeted a factory for developing Iranian weapons in the town of Aqraba, south of Damascus.

The last alleged Israeli strike in Quneitra was reported in May, when one strike targeted the Qurs al-Nafl site and another strike targeted sites in Jubata Al Khashab and az-Zuhur, areas where both the Syrian military and Hezbollah operate.

These attacks come on the backdrop of growing tensions with Hezbollah and Iran in Syria, and the weight of the pressure landing on Iran from Western leaders, chiefly the IAEA resolution to censure Iran for nuclear violations.