Russia urges restraint after Israeli air strikes target Iranian forces in Syria

'We urge all parties involved to exercise restraint and to avoid any actions that could lead to an even greater complication of the situation'

Russia has expressed concern and called for calm after Israeli missile strikes struck 12 Syrian and Iranian targets in Syria, including an aerial defence system.

Israel launched heavy air strikes in Syria and said it successfully hit air defences and Iranian targets, while the Syrian army has claimed to have brought down an Israeli F-16 which crashed in northern Israel.

The Russian foreign ministry has urged all sides to refrain from escalating the situation. In a statement, the ministry said: “Of particular concern is the danger of escalation of tension within and around de-escalation zones in Syria, the creation of which has become an important factor in reducing violence on Syrian soil."

The ministry added: “We urge all parties involved to exercise restraint and to avoid any actions that could lead to an even greater complication of the situation.

"We consider it necessary to unconditionally respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and other countries of the region.

"It is absolutely unacceptable to create threats to the lives and security of Russian servicemen who are in Syria at the invitation of its legitimate government to assist in the fight against terrorists.”

The raids came a few hours after Israel allegedly shot down an Iranian drone after it entered Israeli airspace.

The Israeli military called the drone a "severe and irregular violation of Israeli sovereignty" and said Iran was "playing with fire".

In a tweet, the Israeli Defense Forces said they would “act determinately against such severe violations of Israeli sovereignty” and was “ready for various scenarios”.

But, a spokesman later said the country was “not looking to escalate the situation” and described the air strikes as a “defensive effort triggered by an Iranian act of aggression".

Lebanon is protesting against Israel’s use of its airspace to target Syria and has said it will complain to the UN Security Council.

Additional reporting from agencies