Saudi urges U.N. action against Israel strikes on Syria

Saudi Arabia on Monday called for U.N. action to end Israeli strikes on Syria, describing the raids as a “dangerous violation” of the sovereignty of an Arab state, the official SPA news agency reported.

Israeli raids on Syrian targets near Damascus at the weekend killed at least 42 soldiers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog said.

A senior Israeli source said the raids targeted Iranian weapons destined for the Shiite Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The Saudi cabinet voiced “deep concern from the worsening situation in Syria” and urged “swift action by the U.N. Security Council to stop these Israeli attacks on Syrian territories and ensure they are not repeated,” said SPA.

The kingdom has repeatedly voiced support to rebels in Syria battling President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and severed diplomatic ties with Damascus since 2011.

But its government on Monday described Israel’s raids as “flagrant attacks and a dangerous violation of the sovereignty of an Arab state, warning of its dangerous effects in the region's security and stability.”

A diplomatic source in Beirut told AFP the sites targeted by Israeli warplanes were the Jamraya military facility, a nearby weapons depot and an anti-aircraft unit in Sabura, west of Damascus.

Sunday’s strike came about 48 hours after a reported Israeli raid on a weapons storage facility at Damascus airport.

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon has warned against any escalation of a conflict that has killed more than 70,000 people in Syria since it erupted in March 2011.