NEW YORK CITY: The UN on Thursday condemned “repeated and intensifying military escalations” by Israel in the Syrian Arab Republic, including airstrikes that resulted in civilian casualties, and called for them to cease.
The organization’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said the Israeli actions “undermine efforts to build a new Syria at peace with itself and the region, and destabilize Syria at a sensitive time.”
Overnight, a fresh wave of Israeli strikes damaged military sites in the country, including Hama Air Base, where four Defense Ministry personnel were killed and dozens of people were injured.
Israeli authorities said their forces struck “capabilities that remained” at Hama, and military infrastructure in Damascus.
Israeli troops also killed gunmen during a ground operation in Daraa province, they added. Syrian authorities put the death toll there at nine.
The latest escalation comes amid reports that Turkish authorities are making moves to station jets and other air defenses at bases in Syria.
The Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, on Thursday warned Syria’s interim president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, that he would “pay a very heavy price” if he allowed “forces hostile to Israel” to enter the country.
Pedersen called on Israel to halt the attacks, “which could amount to serious violations of international law, and respect Syria’s sovereignty and existing agreements, and also to cease unilateral actions on the ground.”
The envoy urged all parties to “prioritize diplomatic solutions and dialogue to address security concerns and prevent further escalation.”
Since the overthrow of Syria’s president, Bashar Assad, and his regime in December, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes across the country in an attempt to destroy military assets including fighter jets, tanks, missiles, air defense systems, and weapons factories and research centers.