Israeli strikes on Syria draw strong condemnation from Arab nations

Israeli strikes

Amman: Several Middle Eastern countries, including Jordan, Qatar, Iran, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, have strongly condemned the recent Israeli airstrikes on Syrian military convoys near the southern city of Sweida.

In a joint statement Tuesday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said they ordered the military to “immediately strike” Syrian forces and weapons in the area to “prevent the Syrian regime from harming” the Druze community, due to “the deep fraternal alliance with the Druze citizens of Israel and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria.”

Condemning the Israeli strike on Syria, the Jordan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates described it as a “flagrant violation of international law and a dangerous escalation targeting Syria’s stability, sovereignty, and security.”

“The Ministry’s official spokesperson, Ambassador Sufian Al-Qudah, stressed the need to immediately halt these attacks and the necessity of respecting the sovereignty of the sisterly nation of Syria. Ambassador Al-Qudah reiterated the Kingdom’s stance and full solidarity with Syria, its security, stability, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of its citizens, emphasising that Syria’s security and stability are a cornerstone of regional stability,” Jordan Foreign Ministry stated.

Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, affirmed that the country is following with deep concern the developments in the city of As-Suwayda in southern Syria, out of the firm belief that Syria’s security is an integral part of the region’s stability.

He further emphasised the importance of intensifying efforts to strengthen civil peace through dialogue and peaceful means.

“He expressed the State of Qatar’s condemnation of the Israeli attacks on the city of As-Suwayda, describing them as blatant violations of Syria’s sovereignty, international law, and the United Nations Charter, and a serious threat to regional security,” read a statement issued by Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Esmail Baqaei, expressed deep concern over the recent clashes in the Suwayda region of southern Syria, which resulted in the “deaths of dozens of civilians.”

The Foreign Ministry spokesman touched upon the ongoing “military aggressions” by the Israeli regime against Syria’s territorial integrity, occurring alongside its “continued occupation of significant parts of Syrian territory”.

“He described the persistent inaction of the United Nations Security Council in response to the regime’s acts of aggression against regional countries as highly dangerous and a major factor in emboldening the occupying regime,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.

Kuwait called on the international community and the Security Council to assume their responsibilities to deter these violations and put an end to them to preserve the security of the region, and affirm its solidarity with Syria to maintain its security and stability.

“Kuwait also expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Israeli attacks on the territories of the Syrian Arab Republic, which represent a continuation of a series of violations of international law and the United Nations Charter,” read a statement issued by the Kuwait Foreign Ministry.

Furthermore, Saudi Arabia condemned the “continued blatant Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, interference in its internal affairs, and destabilisation of its security and stability, in flagrant violation of international law and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Syria and Israel.”

According to the Saudi Foreign Ministry, the Kingdom renewed its call to the “international community to stand by the Syrian Arab Republic, support it at this stage, and confront these ongoing Israeli attacks and violations against Syria”.

IANS

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