Russia said on Wednesday that Israel should stop carrying out what Moscow called "arbitrary" airstrikes on Syria, days after the Israeli air force hit numerous Iranian targets in the war-torn country.
Israel has repeatedly attacked Iranian targets in Syria and its proxy militias, including Lebanon's Hezbollah terrorist organization.
"The practice of arbitrary strikes on the territory of a sovereign state, in this case, we are talking about Syria, should be ruled out," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, in answer to a question from Russian news agency TASS.
She said such strikes added to tensions in the region, which she said was not in the long-term interests of any country there, including Israel.
"We should never allow Syria, which has suffered years of armed conflict, to be turned into an arena where geopolitical scores are settled," TASS cited her as saying.
Her comments follow Israeli strikes in Syria on Monday. Israel did not immediately respond.
Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled that Israel would continue to combat Iran's efforts to establish a military foothold in Syria.
"The IDF is the only military that is fighting the Iranian army in Syria," he said during a visit to an IDF base. "I am certain in our ability to defeat the enemy."
The strikes have long caused friction between Israel and Russia, which apart from Iran is Syrian President Bashar Assad's other major foreign backer.
Israeli officials have spoken in the past of an agreement with Moscow under which they have made clear their strikes on Syria would not threaten Assad, while Russia has promised to keep Iran away from Israel's northern border. A hotline set up since 2015 is aimed at ensuring Russian forces in Syria are not surprised by Israeli attacks.
