Itongadol.- Israel continued to stay mum Monday regarding an attack in Syria the day before, even as Russia was asking for explanations from Jerusalem, and Syria has asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council to clamp sanctions on Israel.
While Jerusalem refused to confirm or deny the air-strikes, Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz reiterated on Israel Radio Monday that Israel has a policy of preventing “game-changing” and ultra-sophisticated weaponry from falling into the hands of terrorists.
Steinitz was careful to stay clear of addressing Sunday\’s attacks near Damascus, even as he dismissed as “absurd” claims from opposition parties that the attacks were approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for political purposes.
He said the government was “truly, truly protecting Israel” and was guided in its actions by what is necessary for Israel\’s national security, without making “political connections.” Claims to the contrary, he said, were an “insult to the intelligence.”
Steinitz also carefully stayed away from confirming that Netanyahu gave a hint at Sunday\’s cabinet meeting of what lay in store Sunday in Syria. At that meeting, Netanyahu said, “We are closely monitoring the Middle East and what is happening with open eyes and ears and a lot is happening. We will stay informed and we will deal with these threats and challenges, which are not taking a time-out. We will deal with them with the same responsibility that we have up until now.”
Meanwhile, Moscow – one of Syrian President Bashar Assad\’s primary backers – sent a letter to Ban decrying “Israeli aggression.”
"Moscow is gravely concerned about this dangerous turn of events, the circumstances of which require explanations,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “In any case, there is no doubt that the use of force in international affairs is unacceptable and deserves to be condemned."
The statement went on to say that it was "important not to allow further destabilization of the already tense situation in Syria and the Middle East region as a whole."