TEHRAN, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Friday strongly condemned Israeli missile attacks on sites in the Syrian capital of Damascus and the killing of an Iranian officer serving as a military adviser in Syria in one of the strikes.
In a statement published by the Sepah News, the media arm of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the victim was identified as Milad Heidari, a military officer from IRGC.
Israel launched a missile attack on sites in the Syrian capital Damascus after midnight Friday, the second Israeli strike since Thursday, according to the Syrian national TV. Some missiles were intercepted by Syria in Damascus and its surrounding areas, according to the report.
In the statement, the IRGC slammed Israel for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of an independent Arab country, stressing that the Israeli "crime" would be responded.
In a separate statement posted on the website of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani was quoted as saying that the Israeli "acts of aggression" are flagrant and ongoing violations of international law and regulations and aimed at diverting public opinion away from Israel's "deep internal crises and divisions."
The attacks also proved Israel's dissatisfaction with Syria's internal stability and its breakthrough in foreign relations, he added.
Kanaani urged the UN Security Council to take actions to prevent Israel from continuing its "aggressions" against Syria and blatantly violating a UN member's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
