MOSCOW– Riyad Haddad, Syrian Ambassador to Russia, accused Tel Aviv of supporting terrorist groups in Syria, saying “as soon as Israel feels that the terrorist groups are weakening, they immediately intervene to support them.”
“That is why we will respond to any aggression on the part of Israel, as we responded the last time by destroying one of the planes and striking a blow to the second plane. We will do the same if there is a repetition of such an attempt,” Haddad said, according to Sputnik.
On a Turkish plan to launch a new offensive on its territory, Haddad said such an offensive is “flagrant aggression” against the Arab republic’s sovereignty.
Media reports stated that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that Ankara was preparing for new operations in Syria after the completion of the Euphrates Shield campaign.
“This is a flagrant aggression against the sovereignty of our country,” Haddad said.
The envoy added that Damascus “believed from the very beginning that the Turkish army’s presence on our territory is an occupation regardless of whether the first operation was completed or not.”
H.M