Russia, China and several regional countries have strongly condemned the Israeli strike that targeted the Iranian consulate in Syria, warning of its potential consequences for the West Asia region.
“We are deeply shocked and outraged by the Israeli attack on the consular building of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Damascus that caused casualties and destroyed the building,” the Russian embassy in Tehran said in a statement,.
The statement stressed that the attack constitutes “a flagrant violation” of all the foundations of international law, including the Vienna Convention that guarantees the safety of diplomatic and consular places, warning that it could fuel tensions in the region.
Russia’s foreign ministry stressed that such “aggressive actions by Israel are absolutely unacceptable and must be stopped.”
“We urge the Israeli leadership to abandon the practice of provocative military actions on the territory of Syria and other neighboring countries,” it further added.
China also decried the attack, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin saying, “The security of diplomatic institutions cannot be violated, and Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be respected.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan also “strongly condemned” the Israeli strike as “irresponsible act”, calling it “a major escalation in an already volatile region.”
“The attack is an unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of Syria and undermines its stability and security. It is a violation of international law and the UN Charter. Attacks against diplomats or diplomatic facilities are also illegal under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Islamabad also urged the UN Security Council to prevent Israel from “its adventurism in the region and its illegal acts attacking its neighbors and targeting foreign diplomatic facilities.”
The Israeli strike also drew condemnation from regional countries, including Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi foreign ministry on Tuesday expressed “the Kingdom’s categorical rejection of targeting diplomatic facilities for any justification, and under any pretext, which is a violation of international diplomatic laws and the rules of diplomatic immunity,” the ministry said.
In an official statement on Monday, Oman also denounced the bombing and “called for the protection and preservation of diplomatic and consular missions.”
The country’s foreign ministry stressed “the need to stop the escalation in the region and reject aggression and other actions that threaten security and stability.”
Also on Monday, Iraq warned of “the danger of compromising the security of diplomatic missions that have diplomatic immunity under international laws.”
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry urged the international community to “take urgent action to halt the killing and destruction in the Gaza Strip and the continued targeting of the Syrian territories.”
The United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Qatar as well as resistance movement also denounced the Israeli strike that killed seven military advisors of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
Israeli warplanes bombed the Iranian consulate, situated next to the embassy building in Damascus’s Mezzeh district, on Monday afternoon.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps named Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force and his deputy General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi as among the martyrs of the terrorist attack.
Iranian officials have vowed a firm response to the Israeli crime that violated all international obligations and conventions.
