Russia says inviolability of Russian facilities, diplomatic mission in Syria a priority

Russia said on Wednesday that the inviolability of Russian facilities in Syria, including its diplomatic mission in Damascus, is a priority for Moscow, as it is closely monitoring ongoing events in the country after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

"We are closely monitoring the dramatic events in Syria. The absolute priority for us is the safety of all Russian citizens in Syria, as well as the inviolability of Russian facilities and missions: diplomatic, military and others," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a news conference in Moscow.

"We proceed from the fact that there is no alternative to compliance with international legal norms governing the status and activities of Russian institutions in Syria," Zakharova said.

The spokeswoman further said that the Russian Embassy in Damascus continues its work in "conditions of extremely high security threats."

Zakharova argued that Syria is currently entering a "transition period" in which the country will face new challenges, indicating that Russia wishes these emerging challenges and difficulties to be successfully overcome by the Syrian people.

She also conveyed Moscow's advocacy of the earliest possible establishment of an "inclusive political process" in Syria, calling for Russian citizens in the country to take maximum precautions and avoid crowded places.

Responding to a question by Anadolu about Russia's evaluation of Israel's attacks on Syria, Zakharova said these actions not only violate the terms of the disengagement agreement signed between the two sides in 1974, but they further aggravate the current situation in the war-torn country.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus early Sunday, ending the Baath Party's rule in the country, which had been in power since 1963.

Since the fall of the Assad regime, the Israeli army embarked on an extensive air campaign that targeted military sites across Syria, including strikes on the Syrian ports of Al-Beida and Latakia that destroyed the Syrian navy fleet.

The Israeli army also announced it has "temporarily" seized control of a demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights, saying the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria had "collapsed."