image

EU urges warring parties in Syria to show restraint

The European Union urged the warring parties in the Syrian conflict to show restraint, amid what appears to be an escalation on several fronts across the war-torn country. The EU further stressed that it is imperative to avoid a further spiral of violence in the conflict-ridden region, after Israel launched a massive counter-attack against Syrian and Iranian installations – in response to an Iranian drone infiltrating its airspace and an anti-aircraft missile downing one of its fighter-jets. EU Commission spokesperson Maja Kocijancic said, “The military escalations throughout Syria, including the events we’ve seen on the Israeli border over the weekend in deeply worrying. It could indeed lead to a dangerous spillover. We are following the situation very closely, and at the same time we urge the Syrian parties, their allies, as well as the regional actors, to abide by the international law, to show restraint and to avoid actions that further escalate the situation and prolong the suffering of the Syrian civilians,” the EU Commission spokesperson said during a press briefing.

Meanwhile, calm continued to prevail on the Israeli front with Syria today, with Jerusalem emphasizing that while it would not accept violations of its territory and activities that it has underlined as red lines that pose a threat to Israel’s national security interests – it does not seek further escalation with the Syrian regime.

Sources in Syria revealed to TV7 that the Israeli attack on the Syrian T-4 military airbase near the city of Palmyra, the Israeli Air Force destroyed the command and control systems of the Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle, which infiltrated Israel’s airspace on Saturday morning. The sources further noted that while the entire crew of the Iranian drone were killed in the attack, Russian troops and Syrian Air Force fighter jets stationed at the airbase were not harmed – clearly indicating the success of the coordination-mechanism in place between Moscow and Jerusalem.