UNITED NATIONS, February 3. /TASS/. Russia has requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council following the US strikes on Iraq and Syria, and it is expected to be held on February 5 at 4:00 p.m. New York Time, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said.
"We have just asked to convene an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council due the threats to peace and security sparked by the US strikes on Iraq and Syria. This month’s Guyanese presidency is planning to schedule it for February 5 at 4:00 p.m. New York Time," he wrote on his Telegram channel.
Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia strongly condemns "the new blatant act of US-UK aggression against sovereign countries." The diplomat said, "Obviously, the airstrikes are deliberately aimed at fueling the conflict further."
The US has launched a string of strikes on pro-Iranian militias deployed in certain border areas of Iraq and Syria. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that the airstrikes, which hit more than 85 targets, targeted the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite units of the Iranian armed forces) and related groups.
Yahya Rasool, a spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, said earlier that the US Air Force's bombing of Iraq's border areas is a violation of the country's sovereignty and will have unintended consequences for Iraq's security and stability throughout the region.