Russia 'concerned' by reported Israeli strikes

Russia said Thursday it was checking reports of an Israeli air strike against Syria but would condemn the "unprovoked" attack if the information proved true, AFP reports. The foreign ministry said it was "deeply concerned" by Syrian claims its military research centre had come under Israeli fighter jet attack and other reports of bombs being dropped on a convoy near the Lebanese border. "If this information is confirmed, then we are dealing with unprovoked strikes against targets located on the territory of a sovereign state, which brazenly infringes on the UN Charter and is unacceptable, no matter the motive used for its justification," said a ministry statement. Russia added that it was taking "urgent measures" to clarify the situation. "We once again call on the end to all violence in Syria, underscoring the inadmissability of any type of intervention from abroad, and the start of inter-Syrian dialogue based on the Geneva agreements of June 30, 2012," the Russian statement said. Russia has outraged Western and Arab nations by refusing to join international calls for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down and continues to supply its Soviet-era ally with weapons. Moscow has for its part repeatedly expressed concern at foreign intervention in a country that is its last major ally in the Middle East.