Russia Angered Over Israel’s Latest Attack on Syria

By Stephen Lendman
Source

Complicit with US aggression, Israel is waging war on Syria without declaring it. Russia belatedly addressed the threat it should have acted strongly against much earlier – against US-led terror-bombing as well, responsible for massacring tens of thousands of Syrian civilians and destroying vital infrastructure.

Overnight Tuesday, IDF warplanes, operating from Lebanese airspace, reportedly attacked a Damascus area arms depot.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov said six F-16 warplanes participated in the overnight aggression – “endangering two passenger jets…”

According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, “(t)he airstrikes were again conducted by the Israeli (warplanes) under cover of civilian planes descending to land at the airports of Damascus and Beirut.”

The same IDF tactic in September caused the downing of a Russian IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft in Syrian airspace, its 15 crew members killed.

Moscow remains furious over what happened, calling it “criminal negligence,” holding Israel fully responsible. 

Overnight Tuesday, Syria’s military restricted its electronic jamming and other defense capabilities to avoid a similar tragedy against one or two civilian passenger planes.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry also accused Israel of flagrantly violating Security Council Resolution 1701 (August 2006), formally ending Israeli aggression in Lebanon, both sides agreeing to halt hostilities.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Israeli’s latest airstrikes on its territory in letters to UN Secretary-General Guterres and president of the Security Council, calling it (like all other IDF attacks) a flagrant violation of Security Council Res. 350 (May 1974), establishing a ceasefire following the October 1973 Yom Kippur war.

The Netanyahu regime is emboldened by US support, Syria’s Foreign Ministry stressed, knowing it can get away with virtually anything unaccountably.

Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry issued a similar condemnation, calling for the Security Council to hold Israel accountable for aggression, including the IDF’s latest violation of its airspace, while affirming Syria’s right of self-defense.

According to Israeli military intelligence-connected DEBKAfile, Russia warned the Netanyahu regime that further IDF attacks on Syria will be responded to by missile strikes on its territory – “a tit-for-tat strategy.”

Given the Kremlin’s failure to confront US and Israeli aggression in Syria so far, it’s unclear how or if its military will act against further attacks by both countries, virtually certain to come.

A Final Comment

Russian upper house Federation Council Senator Konstantin Kosachev blasted Trump, saying “(h)aving stated…he intend(s) to (continue military occupation of Iraq) as an advanced springboard for actions in Syria, (he’s) trying to have it both ways.” 

“On the one hand, he still wants to demonstrate the intention to abandon the role of global policeman with the subsequent mission where American blood is spilt for the sake of a country, about which most of them can’t find on a map.” 

On the other hand, (he) certainly needs to quell discontent among the Republicans related to his (announced) withdraw(al) (of) US troops from Syria.”

Kosachev failed to explain that Trump has a disturbing habit of saying one thing and doing another time and again.

Whether US forces leave Syria entirely or partially, the Pentagon is unlikely to abandon its reported 18 bases in the country, at least one more being built, along with two new ones in Iraq near Syria’s border.

The US is in the Middle East and everywhere else where its forces are deployed to stay, its endless wars to continue.

All sovereign independent states are on its target list worldwide, perhaps Iran next to be struck before end of Trump’s tenure.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   

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