Russia calls on Israel to 'rule out practice' of striking Syria

Israel struck Iranian targets in Syria in the early hours of Monday morning, allegedly hitting posts near the Damascus International Airport.

By AVRAHAM GOLD
Russia says 'arbitrary' Israeli air strikes on Syria must stop, January 23, 2019 (Reuters)
Russia called on Israel to "rule out" the "practice" of carrying out airstrikes in Syrian territories, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a press briefing on Wednesday.
"We have not changed our stance related to this topic," she said. "The practice of delivering arbitrary airstrikes against a sovereign state should be ruled out. The escalation of hostilities in the region is not in line with the interests of Middle East states, including Israel."
Israel struck Iranian targets in Syria in the early hours of Monday morning, allegedly hitting posts near the Damascus International Airport.
The strike came on the heels of Iran launching a missile at the Golan Heights midday on Sunday, which drew rare daytime airstrikes from Israel in response.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has taken an increasingly public stance on Israeli activity against Iranian entrenchment in Syria, publicly taking credit on January 13 for strikes in Syria. Since then, Netanyahu has spoken openly about Israel taking a stand against Iran, echoing a long-standing promise to keep Iran from Israel's northern border.
Netanyahu took a stance against a multitude of Israel's enemies on Wednesday, alerting senior Iranian General Qassem Soleimani that Israel would never stop fighting "as long as I am prime minister." Soleimani reportedly visited southern Syria earlier this week, triggering the Israeli strikes there.
The premier also took a stand against Israel's southern enemies on a trip to Israel's South, warning Hamas of a "destructive response" should the terrorist organization escalate violence along the Gaza Strip border. On Tuesday, an IDF soldier was injured by Hamas sniper fire, and Israel Air Force planes targeted Hamas posts in the coastal enclave late into the night.
Russia routinely warns for the de-escalation of Israeli airstrikes in Syria, maintaining close relationships with Jerusalem and Bashar Assad's regime.