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Lavrov warns against provocations in Golan Heights

An airstrike was carried out by the Israeli jets in Syria’s Golan Heights on September 13

© EPA/ATEF SAFADI

MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called to show restraint and to avoid any provocations on the territory of the Golan Heights.

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"There is the need to show restraint and not to allow any provocations in the Golan Heights," Lavrov said commenting on an airstrike carried out by the Israeli jets in Syria’s Golan Heights on Tuesday.

Tel Aviv said this came in response to a projectile from Syria that hit the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights. A similar incident occurred on July 25 and the Israeli Air Force also responded by fire.

The situation in the Golan Heights reflects the overall destabilization of the Middle East and the growing terrorist threat that needs to be countered, Russia’s top diplomat said.

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"There are terrorists in the Golan Heights who have been recognized by everyone as enemies of mankind. But the fight against them should be conducted in the framework of the UN Security Council’s resolutions," Lavrov stressed. "We proceeded from this in our contacts with the Israeli and Syrian colleagues and other countries of this region," he added.

The Golan Heights, belonging to Syria from 1944, were seized by Israel in 1967 during the Six-Day War. In 1981, the Knesset passed The Golan Heights Law, unilaterally proclaiming sovereignty of the Jewish state over this territory. The annexation was recognized as illegal by the UN Security Council Resolution in December 1981.

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