Damage is seen at the Damascus International Airport, Syria, after an Israeli airstrike, on June 12, 2022. (Photo by Syrian Arab News Agency)
Moscow, June 13 (RHC)-- Russian Ambassador to Syria Alexander Efimov has strongly condemned the latest Israeli missile attack on the Damascus International Airport, calling on the Tel Aviv regime to put an end to its vicious acts and naked aggression or await serious repercussions.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Arabic-language al-Watan daily, Efimov stated that such irresponsible moves pose great dangers to civilian aircraft and civil aviation, and that the Israeli regime must stop such wicked actions straight away.
The airport was targeted by a volley of missiles fired from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights at approximately 4:20 a.m. local time (01:20 GMT) on Friday, state media reported.
The Syrian Ministry of Transport said in a statement over the weekend that runways remained out of service at the airport following the attack. “Landing and departing flights were suspended today till further notification as a result of the Israeli aggression, since it caused heavy damage to the airstrips in several localities and to the navigation lights in addition to the damage [that] occurred in the airport lobby,” the statement read. The ministry added that flights are expected to resume in cooperation with air carriers as soon as repair work is concluded.
The Russian ambassador to Damascus also denounced the Turkish military operation as “a flagrant violation of Syria’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” blaming Turkish offensives for the escalation of tensions and insecurity in the northern part of the war-ravaged country.
The Russian diplomat stressed that the deployment of Syrian government forces along the Turkish-Syrian border can only guarantee security in the region, arguing that the Turkish military campaign inside Syria comes despite the Ankara government’s official statements in which it claims to be respectful of its neighbor’s sovereignty.
Efimov also dismissed reports of disagreements between Russia and Iran over Syria, saying Moscow and Tehran are cooperating closely with each other to work out an effective solution to the ongoing Syrian conflict.
He underscored that the presence of Iranian and Russian military advisors on Syrian soil follows a request from the Damascus government. The Russian ambassador further noted that Moscow and Tehran are working in close cooperation with each other and are carrying out various missions without any competition.
