Russia Asks Israel to Refrain from Striking Near Base in Syria
Russia's President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech at the Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Sochi on November 7, 2024. ©MAXIM SHIPENKOV / POOL / AFP

Russia has asked Israel to refrain from conducting airstrikes near its airbase in Syria during Israel's conflict with Hezbollah, as it did in October, a senior Russian official said on Wednesday.

Syrian state media reported in mid-October that Israel carried out an airstrike on the port city of Latakia, a stronghold of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who supports Hezbollah and is backed by Russia in Syria’s conflict. The city is close to Russia’s Hmeimim airbase, located near Latakia airport.

"Israel indeed conducted an airstrike in the immediate vicinity of Hmeimim," said Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy to the Middle East, in an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency on Wednesday.

"Our military has, of course, informed Israeli officials that such actions, which could endanger the lives of Russian troops there, are unacceptable," he added.

"That’s why we hope that this event that took place in October won’t happen again," Lavrentiev emphasized.

The Israeli air force carries out frequent strikes on Syria but rarely targets Latakia, located northwest of Damascus.

Israel accuses Hezbollah, with which it has been in open conflict since September 23, of transporting weapons from Syria.

"We do not make our base available to supply the Lebanese Hezbollah," Lavrentiev assured.

Israel has increased its raids on Syria alongside intensified strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Since Syria’s civil war began in 2011, Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes on the country, targeting the Syrian military and Tehran-backed movements, including Hezbollah, which supports the government forces.

Israeli authorities rarely comment on these strikes but maintain that they will not allow Iran, Israel’s arch-enemy, to expand its presence in Syria.

US Strikes

American forces on Tuesday carried out strikes against targets linked to an Iranian-backed militia in Syria in response to a rocket attack on Washington's troops in the country, the U.S. military said.

The strikes targeted the group's "weapons storage and logistics headquarters facility... in response to a rocket attack on U.S. personnel," the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on social media that did not identify the militia by name.

"There was no damage to U.S. facilities and no injuries to U.S. or partner forces during the attack," CENTCOM said.

The previous day, U.S. forces bombed nine targets associated with Iranian-backed groups in response to recent drone and rocket attacks, according to the Pentagon.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said the Monday strikes killed four members of groups loyal to Iran.

The U.S. military has around 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq as part of the international coalition that was established in 2014 to help combat the Islamic State jihadist group.

Since war broke out in the Gaza Strip after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, pro-Iran groups have repeatedly targeted U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria in response to Washington's support for Israel.

The United States has on multiple occasions responded to such attacks with strikes on Iran-backed groups.

With AFP

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