The Russian-Syrian Joint Coordination Center has asserted that the United States is exerting pressure on the United Nations to obtain humanitarian aid for the residents of the Rukban camp in Syria.
The statement reads: "At the same time, it is expected that the Americans will actually use this shipment to supply militants operating in the area under their control, as has happened several times before." Furthermore, Moscow and Damascus have accused Washington of violating international norms, stating, "The United States is conducting airstrikes on the territory of a sovereign Syrian state and continues to illegally occupy its land. At the same time, there is no indication of restoring safe and dignified life in the areas of the country that they control."
In the Russian-Syrian statement, the Rukban camp was referred to as an American assembly line for training extremists. The statement noted that the United States is preventing its dismantlement, hindering the restoration of sovereignty and peaceful life in the republic. Meanwhile, the Syrian authorities are ready to accept all citizens detained in Rukban and provide them with security and dignified living conditions.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced on Friday that the U.S. military conducted an airstrike on facilities in eastern Syria used by "Iran-backed armed factions" in response to recent rocket attacks on U.S. positions in Iraq. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby stated, "At the direction of President Biden, U.S. military forces earlier on Thursday evening conducted airstrikes on infrastructure used by Iran-backed groups in eastern Syria." He indicated that the strikes destroyed several facilities at a border control point used by Iran-backed militant groups, including Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, according to him.
Several countries, including Russia, condemned the U.S. attack on Syrian territory. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow condemns the U.S. airstrike on a facility in Syria and calls on Washington to respect the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic.
