Turkish Delegation in Moscow to Raise Issue of Syria Airspace Use - Reports

06:13 GMT, 28 December 2018

The delegation from Turkey is set to arrive in the Russian capital on 29 December to discuss the situation in Syria with Russian officials. This comes on the heels of reports that US forces are set to leave the war torn country.

Sputnik

According to the Hurriyet newspaper, the issue of using Syrian airspace after the US pull-out will be on the table during the Russian-Turkish talks.

The revelation comes amid an alleged Israel strike on targets near the Syrian capital of Damascus earlier this week.

Syrian state media SANA reported that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) hit targets with missiles in Damascus suburbs from Lebanese airspace, but added most of the projectiles had been shot down. The attack left three servicemen wounded and caused damage to an ammunition depot, the agency said.

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The Russian Defence Ministry has slammed the IDF's actions as provocative, describing the airstrikes as a flagrant violation of Syria's sovereignty and UN Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 1701 on the Israel-Lebanon conflict. The ministry stressed that two passenger planes landing at Damascus airport during the assault were exposed to “direct threat”.

Although an Israeli official has confirmed the attack on condition of anonymity, the IDF have yet to comment on the issue.

Earlier in December, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to continue anti-Iran operations in Syria after the US move to pull its 2,000 servicemen from the Arab Republic.