Iran condemns Israeli attacks on Syria, urges swift action by U.N.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esma’eel Baqayi has strongly condemned the recent Israeli air and ground assaults on southern Syria and the outskirts of Damascus.

Baqayi on Thursday warned against the continuation of the “expansionist and aggressive actions” of the Israeli regime on Syrian territory. He urged the international community, particularly Islamic nations, to denounce Israel’s aggression and take swift measures to stop the violations.

He said Israeli attacks on Syria were a blatant violation of the U.N. Charter, international law, and Syrian sovereignty, and added that the repetition of such acts of aggression was tantamount to an invasion.

The spokesperson called for an “immediate response” by the United Nations Security Council to stop the Israeli aggression and violation of international peace and security. 

The Israeli military carried out air strikes late Tuesday on several locations in the Damascus countryside and Daraa province in southern Syria, days after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for “demilitarizing” the region.

Netanyahu also made it clear that Israel had no intention of withdrawing from southern parts of Syria, insisting that Israeli forces would not allow Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) forces to “enter the area south of Damascus.”

HTS militants overthrew the government of Bashar al-Assad in a surprise offensive in December.