Russia has condemned the Israeli strikes that targeted Syrian territory, considering them “provocative” and a flagrant violation of international law, in Moscow’s second comment within a week.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said that the Israeli strikes on Syria are “absolutely unacceptable,” and that Moscow condemns these actions and considers them “provocative” and fraught with risks.

She stated that such “aggressive acts” constitute a blatant violation of Syria’s sovereignty and the basic rules of international law, and carry very serious consequences in the context of the deteriorating situation in the region, as reported by the RIA Novosti agency on Friday, March 29.

Israel launched more than one strike in a single day, resulting in fatalities at one of the sites in the countryside of the capital Damascus (two deaths), and in the city of Aleppo.

Syrian official media did not publish the number of deaths due to the Israeli targeting in various areas of Aleppo, but Reuters, quoting two security sources, reported that the Israeli strikes on the city of Aleppo resulted in the death of 38 people, including five members of the Lebanese Hezbollah, while the latter mourned six fighters.

On March 21st, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia said that the Israeli raids on Syria “threaten a comprehensive regional confrontation,” during a meeting of the UN Security Council.

Nebenzia noted that Moscow is particularly concerned about the intensification of Israeli attacks on Syrian civilian targets, and such “irresponsible” acts carry the risk of dragging Syria and a number of its neighbors into a wide-ranging regional confrontation.

Moscow’s comment on the Israeli strikes is notable, especially since it had remained silent on dozens of previous attacks, while Israel’s attacks on various sites and military points in the capital Damascus and its countryside, Aleppo, and the rural areas of Hama, Tartus, and Homs, have not ceased.

Israel repeatedly targets locations and points in Syria to combat the Iranian military presence on Syrian territory, which it sees as a threat to its “national security,” as it declares.

Damascus and Homs are considered main centers in the framework of Iranian activity and are geographic areas that serve as “short-term storage stations” for weapons before being delivered to Hezbollah in Lebanon, and “long-term storage stations” for future use by the Shiite Axis in Syria, according to a report by the Israeli Alma research center on April 2, 2023.