WarSclerotic

At least two Hezbollah operatives were killed in Sunday’s airstrikes outside Damascus, Saudi-owned news outlet Al Arabiya reported on Monday. The report came despite denials by the Syrian regime of any casualties in the strikes, which have been attributed to Israel by foreign reports.

According to Al Arabiya, a senior military figure in the terrorist group was among the two fatalities.

London-based newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi reported that “the targets of the airstrike were shipments of advanced missiles and air-defense systems intended to be transferred from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon.”

Russia on Monday demanded an explanation for the alleged Israeli airstrikes, while the Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers called it an act of aggression that proves that Israel is “in the same trench” with extremist groups fighting the Syrian government.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement that Moscow “is deeply concerned about this dangerous development, which requires a detailed investigation.” He said the use of force was “unacceptable in international relations and deserves an outright condemnation.”

The Syrian government said Sunday’s attacks caused only material damage. Israel has not confirmed the strikes, which Syrian activists said had hit weapons depots.

Speaking on Israel Radio on Monday, International Relations, Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz would neither confirm nor deny that Israel had attacked Syria.

“We have a very potent defense policy that is oriented toward safeguarding the country and wherever possible preventing the upgrading of weaponry that gives terrorist organizations game-changers or unusually sophisticated means of attack,” he said.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem claimed Israel was trying to “strengthen the spirit” of Islamic extremist groups in Syria, who, he said, were suffering losses at the hands of the Syrian army. He did not elaborate. Muallem added that the attack was part of “the conspiracy hatched by the U.S., Europe, Israel and some of the Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, against the regime in Damascus with the intention of toppling it.”

He spoke Monday at a joint news conference in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Syria also asked the United Nations Security Council on Monday to impose sanctions on Israel. In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Chad, Security Council president for December, Syria said that “such aggressions will not stop it from fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestation across the entire territory of Syria.”

“At the same time, the Syrian Arab Republic calls on the international community and the Security Council to shoulder their responsibility and forcefully condemn this brutal attack and to cease covering it up under any pretext,” the letter read.

“Syria also calls for the imposition of stern sanctions against Israel … and requests that all measures prescribed under the Charter of the United Nations should be taken to prevent Israel from again committing such aggressions,” it said.

Syrian state-run TV said, “The regime’s silence [over the attacks] is not a sign of Syria’s weakness, as is believed by the Zionist enemy. The Syrian leadership is consulting with its allies and the response will be in accordance — fire will be answered with fire.”

A retired Syrian army general, meanwhile, was quoted in the Arab media as saying that “the Syrian army is operating throughout the entire country against terrorist and radical Islamist jihadist organizations. In the Syrian army’s present situation, it can be said honestly that we do not have the option to respond at this time to the Israeli attack in Syrian territory.”