By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Maria Zakharova also accused the West, in particular the US and Britain, of fueling conflict in the Middle East.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that Hezbollah has not lost its chain of command despite Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

“According to our assessments, Hezbollah, including the military wing, has not lost its chain of command and is demonstrating organization,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, told reporters on Wednesday.

#MariaZakharova called "Israel's" aggressions on sovereign nations an "outrageous routine practice" in #Gaza, #Lebanon, and #Syria. https://t.co/38p61PE6u9

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 9, 2024

She also accused the West, in particular the US and Britain, of fueling conflict in the Middle East, and demonstrating hypocrisy through its support for Israel, Reuters reported.

Zakharova also condemned Israel for having “grossly violated the sovereignty of Syria by launching a missile attack on a multi-storey apartment building in a densely populated area of Damascus.”

‘Routine’ Attacks

The attack on Tuesday killed nine civilians, including women and children, and injured fourteen others, according to the Syrian Defense Ministry cited by the Al-Mayadeen news agency.

“It is outrageous that such actions have literally turned into a routine practice applied to Syria, Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip,” Zakharova said.

Israel Bombing of Residential Building in Damascus Kills 7, Injures 11 – Second Attack in a Week

The latest aggression comes a week after Israeli airstrikes, which also targeted the Mazzeh neighborhood, killed three people, including Syrian journalist Safaa Ahmad, and injured nine others.

The spokeswoman said it showed Israel’s “desire to further expand the geography of armed escalation in the region.”

‘Silence’ over Journalists’ Killing

She also criticized the West and international organizations for their lack of response to the deaths of journalists covering conflicts, reported the Anadolu news agency.

The killings of reporters is “an unprecedented tragedy in terms of the number of journalists murdered while performing their professional duties,” Zakharova said.

Using the Gaza Playbook in Lebanon – How Words Can Justify a Genocide

“Moreover, all of this is met with silence — not just a lack of action, but not even a statement — from relevant institutions. UNESCO, in particular, is shamefully silent, as if its Director-General Audrey Azoulay has nothing to say on the matter,” she reportedly emphasized.

Zakharova added that the “situation for journalists’ safety in areas like the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and other regional clashes is catastrophic.”

Staggering Death Toll

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health,  42,010 Palestinians have been killed, and 97,720 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

More than 170 journalists are among those killed.

Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, on October 7, Hezbollah has engaged directly, but relatively in a limited way in the war against the Israeli occupation.

Israel’s attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,100 people since October 7 most of them in the past two weeks.

(PC, MEMO, Anadolu, Al-Mayadeen)