Beirut, February 20 (RHC)-- Lebanon has strongly condemned the latest Israeli airstrikes on the Syrian capital Damascus that heavily damaged residential buildings and caused civilian casualties, saying the aggression confirms the regime’s indifference to human suffering.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued in Beirut, denounced the “attack on the sovereignty of Syria, which is still reeling from the repercussions of the devastating earthquake that struck it” on February 6 and killed thousands.  The ministry called the airstrikes a “violation of the most basic rules of international law.”

“It comes to reaffirm Israel’s indifference to the human suffering resulting from its attacks on the peoples of the region in all circumstances, especially in times of tragedies, which doubles its moral condemnation,” the statement read.

At least five people, including a soldier, were killed and 15 others wounded in the Israeli airstrikes early on Sunday, the Syrian army said in a statement.  The Israeli attack was launched from the occupied Golan Heights and targeted several military sites in Damascus, including the southwestern residential neighborhood of Kafar Sousah, the statement noted.  It added that many of the wounded are in critical condition, and many residential homes in Damascus and its countryside were damaged.

The statement said Syrian air defense units intercepted most missiles before reaching the targets.  Following the attack, Syria urged the United Nations to take necessary measures to deter Israel’s attacks and hold it accountable for the crime.

“When Syria was trying to heal its wounds, bury its martyrs, and receive condolences, sympathy, and international humanitarian support in the face of the devastating earthquake, the Israelis launched an air aggression targeting civilian-populated neighborhoods,” the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Israeli regime frequently violates Syrian sovereignty by targeting military positions inside the country, especially those of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement, which has played a key role in helping the Syrian army in its fight against foreign-backed terrorists.

Israel mostly keeps quiet about its attacks on the Syrian territories, which many view as a knee-jerk reaction to the Syrian government’s increasing success in confronting terrorism.

The Tel Aviv regime has been a main supporter of terrorist groups that have battled the government of President Bashar al-Assad since foreign-backed militancy erupted in Syria in early 2011.

Syria has repeatedly complained to the UN over Israeli assaults, urging the Security Council to take action against Tel Aviv’s crimes.  The calls have, however, fallen on deaf ears.