The minister said that the US-led coalition against the ISIL jihadists has not notified the Syrian authorities in advance about its plans to conduct airstrikes on Syrian territory, explaining this fact by the alleged illegitimacy of Bashar Assad's government.
"It is a contradiction and a double standard to say that Syria is a partner for the purpose of chemical weapons destruction, and it is not [a partner] in the fight against terrorism. This brings about thoughts that the airstrikes led on Syrian territory over the areas controlled by the terrorists would sometimes be led in other parts of the Syrian state, which are not controlled by terrorists," Lavrov said in the Diplomatic Academy in Moscow.
In October, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 32 civilians were killed following the first month of coalition airstrikes in Syria.
In January, US Central Command acknowledged for the first time that they are investigating claims of civilian casualties of the coalition’s airstrikes in the country.
