UNITED NATIONS, December 21. /TASS/: Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s first deputy envoy to the UN, cautioned against allowing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to spill over to Syria.
"The escalation in the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is unprecedented by the number of casualties, is provoking additional tension in our friendly nation of Syria. Against the background of Israel's bloody operation in the Gaza Strip and incessant raids in the West Bank, there has been a noticeable surge in activity of various forces and formations across the region," the diplomat said at a meeting of the UN Security Council. "The ever more frequent Israeli air raids on Syrian sites <...> as well as the intensifying exchanges of strikes across the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel risk dragging Syria into a full-scale regional confrontation. There can’t be allowed to happen by any means."
He added that "existing difficulties persist and are worsening" in Syria, including terrorist activity, clashes between Kurds and pro-Turkish militias, and instability in the south of the country.
The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following an incursion of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7. Hamas has cast the attack as a response to Israeli actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israel has declared a complete siege of the Gaza Strip and started a military operation there. Israel also strikes parts of Lebanon and Syria in retaliation for bombardments originating from these countries. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.
