Date: Jul 3, 2019 Source: The Daily Star Syria says Israel strikes amount to ‘state terrorism’ DAMASCUS: Syria Tuesday accused Israel of committing “state terrorism” after reported Israeli airstrikes killed 15 people including civilians. “Israeli authorities are increasingly practicing state terrorism,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official SANA news agency. “The latest heinous Israeli aggression falls within the framework of ongoing Israeli attempts to prolong the crisis in Syria,” it added. Israeli airstrikes near Damascus and in Homs province late Sunday killed nine mostly foreign pro-regime fighters and six civilians, including three children, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It was not immediately clear if the civilians died in the strikes or in their aftermath, it added. An Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment. Syria’s Foreign Ministry filed a complaint to the United Nations Security Council over the attack, demanding accountability, according to SANA. It said Israel’s “dangerous and hostile” actions would not have been possible without the support of its ally the United States, which protects it in the Security Council. The strikes hit several Iranian positions near Damascus, and also targeted a research center and a military airport west of the city of Homs where Hezbollah and Iranians are deployed, the Observatory said. One of the pro-regime fighters killed was Syrian, while the rest were of other nationalities, Observatory head Rami Abdel-Rahman said. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it was concerned about the strikes and believes they could pose a threat to regional stability. Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, targeting forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and the regime’s allies Iran and Hezbollah. The Syrian conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and drawn in world powers since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.