The Russian Defense Ministry has protested to Israel over an alleged airstrike on a target near Russia’s Hmeimim airbase near Latakia in Syria. The information was revealed Wednesday morning by Alexander Lavrentiev, President Putin’s special envoy for Syria, in an interview with the RIA Novosti agency. “Israel did indeed strike near Hmeimim. They did not target the base itself because that would have had very negative consequences, including for Israel, and they understand this perfectly. According to some data, the strike was carried out against a warehouse, any structure,” Lavrentiev said.
The Russian envoy said the army had conveyed a message emphasizing that such acts were “totally unacceptable” because they “endanger the lives of Russian soldiers.” “We hope that the events of October will not be repeated,” he added.
Lavrentiev was also keen to dismiss any suggestion that Iran would use the Russian base to supply weapons to Hezbollah: “I am convinced that this will not happen.” However, he acknowledged the existence of “Iranian flights carrying humanitarian aid arriving at the base.”
This tension comes as Israeli media reported last week that Russia would be involved in a stabilization deal between Israel and Lebanon. According to these sources, Moscow’s role would not concern Lebanese internal affairs, but would focus on Syria, where it would exert pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to prevent the transit of Iranian arms to Hezbollah via Syrian territory. .
The Russian protest comes in a particularly tense regional context, where the issue of arms transfer and the Iranian military presence in Syria remain major points of friction between Moscow and Jerusalem.
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