The Russian military says Syria’s air defense systems shot down 22 of 24 Israeli missiles fired during recent air raids conducted by the regime’s warplanes near the Syrian cities of Damascus and Homs.

In a statement, the deputy head of Russia’s Reconciliation Center for Syria, Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, said “On August 19, 2021, six Israeli Air Force tactical fighters launched 24 guided missiles from Lebanese airspace at targets in the Syrian Arab Republic” 

The statement added that “the Syrian air defense destroyed 22 missiles using Russian-made Buk-M2E and Pantsir-S systems... There were no casualties among the Syrian military personnel or destruction of infrastructure”.

The Israeli regime violated Lebanese airspace to conduct the air raids, triggering condemnation from Beirut. Lebanese Defense Minister, Zeina Akar, has said it “blatantly violated Lebanon’s airspace” and triggered “a state of panic among citizens.” 

Lebanon has also filed a formal complaint with the United Nations, saying the strikes violated UN Resolution 1701, which ended a major war Israel waged against Lebanon in 2006.

Likewise, Damascus has filed a complaint with the United Nations calling on the world body to fulfill its responsibility by taking firm measures against Israeli attacks against a sovereign country. Damascus also called on the UN to hold Tel Aviv accountable for its “terrorist and criminal actions”.

The Israeli regime has conducted hundreds of similar airstrikes on Syrian territory over the past decade. 
According to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the goals of the attacks are to hamper the Syrian army's advances against terrorists, assist terrorist groups and prevent advanced weapons from reaching the resistance movement. 

Recently, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Sayyad Hassan Nasrallah, said all three of these Israeli goals have failed to achieve their objective.

Last month, during a meeting in Kazakhstan, Russia, Iran, and Turkey issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s “continuous” assault on Syria, insisting they not only violate “international humanitarian law” and “the sovereignty of Syria and neighboring countries,” but also destabilize the broader region. 

Since 2015, Moscow has been helping Syrian government forces liberate their country from foreign-backed terrorists. 

At the invitation of Damascus, Moscow and Tehran have also sent military advisors to assist the Syrian Arab army.

Having already ignored a previous statement from the three countries issued last year, which also urged Israel to halt its bombing campaign, Tel Aviv appears unlikely to stop its violations of international law or destabilizing West Asia.