Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 19, 2023
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 19, 2023
Russia condemns Israeli strike on Syria as ‘flagrant violation’ of international law
Russia condemns a strike blamed on Israel that killed five people and injured 15 in Syria’s capital, Damascus.
Moscow, a key backer of the Syrian regime in the over decade-long civil war, calls the attack a “flagrant violation” of international law.
Israel’s need to coordinate with Russia — which controls Syrian airspace — to carry out strikes has been cited as a chief reason for Jerusalem’s reluctance to supply Kyiv with weaponry amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“We strongly urge the Israeli side to stop armed provocations against the Syrian Arab Republic and refrain from steps that are fraught with dangerous consequences for the entire region,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says, according to Reuters.
