© Russian EmbassyRussian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov
Israel's security is of paramount importance to Russia, but the Israeli Air Force's (IAF) airstrikes on Syrian territory are illegitimate and unjustified, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters.
"For us, the security of Israel is paramount. Having said that, I am not saying that Israel's unlawful attacks on targets in Syria, including targets that are in one way or another linked to Iran, are legitimate and can be justified. No, we condemn them, they are illegitimate. But this does not mean, again, that we should not care about the security of Israel," the deputy foreign minister stressed.The statement comes after the IDF said that it attacked alleged Iranian arms depots in Syria and several air defence batteries. The attack, according to IDF, was a reaction to an attempted rocket attack on the Golan Heights, which was reported earlier.
In January, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel, in order to prevent Iran's military consolidation in Syria, was ready to intensify attacks on Iranian facilities in the Arab Republic.
Comment: Create a bogeyman. Propel, support and magnify the fear for decades - until it gains sufficient traction and becomes the legitimized excuse to further an agenda. Even Russia can't say Israel's obsession with Iran is justified. Ryabkov carefully separated Israel's actions from its security.