PRESS RELEASE

---

Russia Denounces Latest U.S. Air Strike Against Assad Forces Inside Syria as ‘Illegal’ and a Violation of Sovereignty

May 19, 2017 (EIRNS)—The United States launched an air strike against Syrian government military forces inside Syria, Fox News and others reported yesterday. According to the Pentagon account, Syrian army forces were allegedly massing several vehicles including at least one tank, near the Jordanian border, and were moving towards one of the four de-escalation zones. That particular zone has American troops present who are training the Syrian Democratic Forces and Syrian Arab Coalition. After the Assad military forces were warned off various times, but didn’t turn back, according to the U.S. report, an air strike against them was called in by the Americans. The Pentagon issued assurances that the latest attack by the United States does not reflect an escalation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sharply denounced the American military strike as illegal and a violation of sovereignty.

"Whatever the reason for the decision that the U.S. command made to carry out that strike was, the strike is illegitimate, it is illegal and a regular gross violation of the Syrian Arab Republic’s sovereignty,"

Lavrov said. He added that Russia is still clarifying the details, but

"we are very much worried that the general, seemingly imminent understanding of the need to unite the efforts of all who really oppose, on the ground and in the air, the terrorists of Daesh and former Jabhat al-Nusra, is beginning to erode."

Syria’s UN ambassador also denounced the air strike as an "aggression" and a "massacre."