MOSCOW, November 22. /TASS/. Moscow strongly condemns Israeli strikes on Syria’s Palmyra and calls on the parties to the conflict to listen to reason and refrain from going beyond the limits of civilized behavior, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"We resolutely condemn this attack, which, according to the Syrian authorities, left 36 people dead and more than 50 wounded and did serious damage to dwelling quarters. This show of force by Israel against Syria, like all other ones preceding it, constitutes a flagrant violation of this country’s sovereignty and the fundamental norms of international law," she said.

Russia once again calls "on all parties involved in the ongoing regional escalation to listen to the voice of reason and stay within the bounds of civilized behavior, adhering to the humanitarian values of the 21st-century," she pointed out.

She warned that "the ultimate loss of mutual respect among neighbors in the region and the exorbitant escalation of the conflict may make prospects for a lasting peace in the Middle East extremely difficult to achieve."

"We regret to state that the ferocity of the armed confrontation in the Middle East has devalued not only human life but also cultural and historical heritage. Not long ago, Israeli warplanes delivered a series of strikes on Lebanon’s Baalbek, home to a unique temple complex. Now, airstrikes have been carried out on a city in the exact vicinity of Antique Palmyra, which, along with Baalbek, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has already been hit hard by Islamic State (outlawed in Russia - TASS) terrorists," Zakharova added.