ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday called on the international community to hold Israel accountable for repeated violations of international law after Israeli airstrikes hit a Syrian military air base, warning the attacks could further undermine regional peace and stability.
Eight Israeli airstrikes hit the Abu Al-Duhur air base in northwestern Syria early on Tuesday, targeting its runway and storage facilities but causing no casualties, according to Syrian state television.
“Pakistan ... calls on the international community to play its role in ending repeated violations of the international law by the Israeli occupation forces, and to hold it accountable for its destabilizing actions in the region,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.
Islamabad condemned the “unprovoked attack” on the air base and reiterated its support for Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
“Such provocative actions constitute a flagrant violation of the international law, and have the potential to further undermine regional peace and stability,” the foreign office said.
The strikes were the first on Syrian government facilities since March, according to Reuters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Syria had been on the verge of violating an agreed security status quo by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at Abu Al-Duhur, a move it said would pose a threat to Israel’s security.
Türkiye, which also condemned the development, has emerged as one of the principal foreign backers of Syria’s new leadership since the overthrow of longtime President Bashar Assad in December 2024, while Israel has repeatedly struck military targets inside Syria.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed a joint defense agreement in Makkah earlier this month that commits the three countries to regard an armed attack on one as an attack on all.
Pakistan’s foreign office said in its statement it stood in solidarity with the Syrian people and supported the country’s “peace and prosperity.”
