Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Syrian FM says Israel 'playing with fire' after overnight strikes

Syria's foreign minister said on Thursday that Israel was "playing with fire" following Israeli strikes near Damascus and on Aleppo's international airport the previous evening.

The strikes resulted in material damage only, according to state news agency SANA, which said Syria's air defences shot down a number of Israeli missiles around the capital.

There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials.

In comments reported by SANA on Thursday, Syria's top diplomat Faisal al-Meqdad said Israel was threatening regional security.

"Israel is playing with fire and is putting the regional military and security situations at risk of an explosion," the agency reported him as saying.

"Syria will not remain silent regarding the repeated Israeli attacks and the Israelis will pay the price sooner or later."

Israel has staged numerous strikes in Syria in recent years, mainly targeting alleged weapons convoys or stores belonging to allied fighters from Iran.

In June, Syria blamed Israel for aerial attacks on its main international airport in Damascus that put the site out of commission for several weeks.

Israeli defence officials say the civilian airport has been used regularly by Iran to transport weapons and militias.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.