Israel should report security threats in Syria rather than immediately respond to them in order to keep the country ravaged by civil war from being turned into a battlefield against Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday, according to Russian news outlet Sputnik.
Speaking at a press conference, Lavrov criticized Israel from responding to security threats from Iran in Syria, while stressing that Moscow does not approve of Syria being used against Israel as well.
Rather, Israel should report these threats to Russia.
"So, our dear Israeli colleagues, if you have facts that your state is facing threats from the Syrian territory, report the facts urgently, and we will take every measure to neutralize the threat," Lavrov said, according to Sputnik.
Israeli forces have launched numerous strikes into Syria against Iranian targets, as part of its ongoing conflict with the Islamic Republic's proxies.
However, Russia has been highly critical of Israel's activities in the country in the past.
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post in late December 2020, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov explained that Israel, rather than Iran, is the most destabilizing force in the Middle East, and blamed Israel for attacking Hezbollah and Iranian forces in Syria, which he called a violation of sovereignty.
He added that “there is no way that we are approving any Israeli strikes on Syria, never in the past and never in the future.”
The Foreign Ministry later reprimanded Viktorov for his remarks. However, Russia's Foreign Ministry was confused by what they considered an "overly sensitive reaction" by Israel.
