MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th April, 2019) Russia's position on Israeli airstrikes against Syria has not reversed and Moscow still calls for respecting the sovereignty of Damascus, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview released on Saturday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly said that the practice of random airstrikes on the territory of Syria should be put to rest.
"There are no changes in our principled position regarding attacks on the Syrian territory. Our attitude towards this matter has always been clearly expressed. We proceed from the need to strictly respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria," Lavrov told the Al-Ahram newspaper, when asked whether Moscow's position on the continuing strikes by Israel against Syria had changed as some reports suggested that Russia had softened its stance.
Israel has been conducting air raids in Syria against Hezbollah targets, as it traditionally views the movement's presence in Lebanon and Syria as a threat to its national security since it is backed by Iran, Israel's main rival in the region.
At the same time, Russia-Israel relations were put to test following the fatal crash of the Russian Il-20 plane in September 2018 that the Russian Defense Ministry held the Israeli Air Force responsible for. The plane was downed by a missile launched by Syria's air defense system targeting Israeli F-16 jets that were carrying out airstrikes in Syrian Latakia province. The incident claimed the lives of 15 Russian servicemen.
A high-ranking source in the Israeli government told reporters in February that the crisis in the bilateral relations ended after a meeting had been held between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
