China on Tuesday said it condemned Israeli air strikes that destroyed the consular annex at close ally Iran's embassy in Damascus.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi © Mena Today
China on Tuesday said it condemned Israeli air strikes that destroyed the consular annex at close ally Iran's embassy in Damascus.
"China condemns the attack," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
"The security of diplomatic institutions cannot be violated, and Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be respected," he said.
"The current situation in the Middle East is turbulent and we oppose any actions that lead to an escalation of tensions," Wang said.
The Israeli air strikes destroyed the Iranian embassy's consular annex in Damascus, Syrian and Iranian officials said.
A top Revolutionary Guard commander was among seven members the force said were killed.
China is a close partner of Iran and its largest trade partner and a top buyer of its sanctioned oil.
Beijing also enjoys close ties with Damascus.
In September last year, it became one of only a handful of countries outside the Middle East that President Bashar Al-Assad has visited since the 2011 start of a civil war that has since killed more than half a million people and displaced millions more.
Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement in Washington on Friday following several days of talks to secure an end to fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, though both sides framed the deal as an initial step.
Naim Qassem took to the podium Friday for the Ashura commemorations and delivered precisely the speech the world expected, word for word, beat for beat, with all the spontaneity of a hostage reading from a script prepared in Tehran.
Lebanon's Foreign Ministry on Friday welcomed the joint declaration issued Thursday following the ministerial meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the United States, describing it as a significant endorsement of Beirut's sovereign diplomatic path.
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