Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli airstrikes in Syria; Russia FM believes it’s important to respect Syria’s sovereignty; Polyanskiy: Such acts cause our utmost concern and resentment.

The Foreign Ministry of Russia has now condemned the retaliatory strikes that the Israeli Air Force carried out inside of Syria on Tuesday. Chargé d’Affaires Dmitry Polyanskiy told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that, “Israel’s missile strikes on Syria that have intensified recently, also run counter to normalization efforts in the region. Such acts cause our utmost concern and resentment.”

Regarding the 23 deaths that occurred as a result of the strike(s), Russia’s FM stated, “We believe it is absolutely imperative to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and other states in the region. So far, Israeli actions have ratcheted up tension and conflict potential of the situation around Syria, and are running counter to the efforts to normalize the situation and achieve stability and a political settlement in Syria.” This is interesting (and hypocritical), because Russia has a growing presence throughout Syria, and in some ways even calling the shots.

Reinforcing the legitimacy of their strikes, Israel’s former Deputy Defense Minister and Knesset member, Danny Danon stated, “We struck numerous Iranian military sites in Syria… It was the Iranian facilities that we attacked. We will not tolerate any aggression against Israel. We will attack forcibly anyone who will attack Israel.”