Report: Russia Drafts UN Resolution Condemning Israel for Damascus Airport Attack

Russia has drafted a proposal for a resolution in the United Nations Security Council that condemns Israel for an attack earlier this month on the Damascus Airport, Israel’s Kan public broadcaster first reported. The draft resolution states that the attack was carried out in violation of international law, and that it violates the sovereignty of Syria as well as “other countries,” apparently referring to Israel’s use of other countries’ airspace to launch the attack. The attack also prevented Russia from providing humanitarian assistance for Syria during the days that it was forced to close after the attack, according to the resolution. Israel’s ambassador to Russia was summoned last week for a formal reprimand over air strikes attributed to Israel.  Unnamed senior Israeli officials confirmed to Kan that such a resolution was being drafted by Russia, but that its chances of receiving support were not high. In addition, an Israel official pointed out that Iran uses the airport to smuggle in weapons, apparently destined for Hizbullah in Lebanon. Israel has publicly neither confirmed nor denied the attack. In recent years, and more frequently in recent months, Israel has been attacking what it calls Iranian-linked targets in Syria. Last week Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi said that in a potential war, “any national infrastructure that supports terror is a target for attack.”