Syria and Iran condemn Damascus air strikes

Israel refuses to confirm or deny reports but says it will not
allow "sophisticated weapons " to fall into enemy hands.
Syria has called for UN sanctions against Israel over
alleged air strikes on Syrian soil, including one on
Damascus' main international airport .
There was no threat of retaliation, but the Syrian Foreign
Ministry said on Monday it had asked Ban Ki-moon , UN
secretary- general , and the Security Council to impose
sanctions on Israel, describing Sunday' s alleged attack as " a
heinous crime against Syria' s sovereignty ".
Israel has said it will not allow " sophisticated weapons " to
fall into the hands of its enemies.
It has refused to confirm or deny the reports of the attack,
but its forces have previously targeted weapons allegedly
destined for Lebanon ' s armed Shia group Hezbollah , an ally
of Syria .
The Syrian army said air strikes by " the Israeli enemy "
targeted two areas near Damascus, including Damascus
international airport , which is used by both civilian and
military aircraft.
It said the attack caused damage but that nobody was hurt.
"This direct aggression by Israel was carried out to help the
terrorists in Syria, " the Syrian army said , using the
Bashar al -Assad government ' s collective term to describe
peaceful opponents , armed rebels and self - declared jihadists
fighting in Syria.
'Act of aggression '
The Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers, speaking jointly in
Tehran on Monday, described the latest developments as an
act of aggression.
Walid Muallem, Syria' s foreign minister , who is in the
Iranian capital to take part in a two -day conference on
violence and extremism, also accused Israel of trying to
compensate for losses incurred by rebels in Syria at the
hands of the Syrian army .
Russia too demanded an explanation from Israel .
Alexander Lukashevich, Foreign Ministry spokesperson , said
Russia "is deeply concerned about this dangerous development
which requires a detailed investigation ".
In a statement, he said that the use of force is " unacceptable
in international relations and deserves an outright
condemnation ".
Russia, along with Iran , is the Syrian government ' s chief
international ally , and has been trying to convene a
conference bringing Syria' s warring sides together in
Moscow for a dialogue .
According to the Britain -based Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights , which monitors the Syrian conflict , the two
sites allegedly targeted on Sunday were used for military
purposes.
"Both were military sites , and weapons were being stored
there , " Rami Abdel Rahman, Syrian Observatory ' s
director, told AFP.
There was little doubt on Monday among commentators in
Israel that the country ' s fighter jets carried out the attacks.
"There must have been a brief window of opportunity
yesterday and the decision to strike was taken , " Israeli army
radio said on Monday.
Previous air strikes
Israel has launched raids reportedly targeting Iranian
rockets bound for Hezbollah , including a shipment of
Fateh -110 in May 2013 .
One attack according to Syria occurred in the Quneitra
region of the Golan Heights in March that killed a soldier.
Asked about the Syrian accusations on public radio on
Monday, Yuval Steinitz, Syria ' s intelligence minister ,
refused to comment directly but stressed his country ' s policy
of preventing arms transfers to armed groups.
"We have a firm policy of preventing all possible transfers of
sophisticated weapons to terrorist organisations , " Steinitz
said , in a clear reference to Hezbollah .
Some Israeli opposition figures raised questions about the
timing of the raids , which came after Benjamin Netanyahu ,
prime minister , called early elections .
Netanyahu is looking to shore up his support on the right
before primaries for his Likud party and the snap vote in
March .
"I hope this isn' t the opening salvo of the campaign for the
Likud primaries and the next elections , " Ilan Gilon of the
Meretz party said .