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Russia slams Israel over strikes in Syria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said Hitler had “Jewish blood,” now condemns Israel for “dangerous” strikes.

By Debbie Reiss, World Israel News

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday slammed Israel for carrying out military strikes on Iranian targets in Syria, in comments that highlight increasingly frosty ties between Moscow and Jerusalem.

“We strongly condemned the dangerous practice of Israeli strikes on Syrian territory,” Lavrov said at a press briefing in Moscow alongside his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad.

“We demand that Israel respect the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and, above all, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria,” he said in remarks carried by the Reuters news agency.

In the most recent raid, Israel hit targets in western and central Syria on August 14, killing three soldiers and wounding three others, according to the Putin-backed Syrian military.

Mekdad also expressed his support for his Russian counterpart over Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.

While Israel has been cautious about taking sides in the war because of its interests in keeping Iran at bay in Syria, in his former post as foreign minister, Prime Minister Yair Lapid came out with strong condemnation of Moscow. Since taking over as Israeli premier, Lapid has tried to soften his stance, and last month he hailed Jerusalem’s “long history” with Moscow.

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In June, an Israeli strike knocked Damascus International Airport out of service for two weeks after Israel accused Iran of smuggling advanced missile components for Hezbollah into Syria on civilian flights. The destroyed terminals were said to have been designated as VIP areas for Iranian personnel and for storing the smuggled technology.

A month earlier, Lavrov said Adolf Hitler had Jewish blood, a comment that enraged Israel and forced Russian President Vladimir to apologize.