Will Defend By All Means: Syria Warns Israel Against Back-to-back Airstrikes

Syria has accused its foe of the two consecutive attacks. It has warned Israel that it would unquestionably defend its region granted to Damascus through international law.

On July 22, a statement has been released by the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemning the recent “cowardly Israeli aggression” after the attack on Wednesday in the Al-Qusayr region of Homs province, close to the Lebanese border. The statement also mentioned an earlier attack against the Al-Safira region in Aleppo, also caused by Israel.

The attack comes as, in recent days, tensions have intensified between Israel and its northern neighbors.

It is no surprise that over the years, the Israel Defence Force has launched hundreds of airstrikes through Syria’s decade-long civil war, in which the relation of Iran-aligned militias are usually reportedly targeted. However, Israel denies its involvement and hardly confirms or discusses such actions.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry warned that its country “will not hesitate to exercise its right to defend its country, people and sovereignty in every way guaranteed by its constitution, the Charter of United Nations and the provisions of international law”.

The ministry also claimed that “the Syrian Arab Republic has repeatedly called on the Security Council to condemn the repeated Israeli attacks on its sovereignty and territorial integrity and to take firm and immediate measures to suppress these attacks and hold Israel accountable for them. It has reiterated its warning to Israel of the dangerous repercussions of its continuous attacks and holds it fully responsible for them.”

The Britain-based Observatory, a pro-opposition group of unclear funding that has activists on Syria’s ground, stated that before Thursday, 14 attacks were carried out by Israel in 2021, resulting in some 40 buildings destroyed and 104 people killed.

Russia and China are two of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Both countries have constantly backed Bashar Al-Assad, the president of Syria, since his crackdown on protestors in 2011, causing a national conflict. Western countries, however, mainly the United States being Israel’s top ally, has not.