The Israeli airstrikes on the Syrian capital on Sunday draw international reactions including regional condemnations.

The Israeli airstrikes on the Syrian capital on Sunday draw international reactions including regional condemnations.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed for restraint to avoid escalating crisis in Syria, expressing concern over Israeli raids.

"The secretary-general calls on all sides to exercise maximum calm and restraint, and to act with a sense of responsibility to prevent an escalation of what is already a devastating and highly dangerous conflict," Ban’s spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

Nesirky added that Ban called the Secretary General of the Arab League, noting that the two "shared their grave concern about the reported air strikes in Syria and the risks for regional security.

For his part, British Foreign Secretary William Hague backed the Israeli raids, considering the Israeli regime’s violation of Syrian airspace and bombing of the country as part of Tel Aviv’s right to “self defense”.

"All countries have to look after their own national security, of course, and are able to take actions to protect their own national security," Hague told Sky News.

French foreign minister called Monday for "a political solution" to the conflict in Syria.
"The situation in Syria is a real tragedy," Fabius told a press conference, adding that if it continued, it could be a "human and political disaster".

"We must try and achieve a political solution, that is the aim," Fabius said, urging the so-called opposition group Syrian National Coalition to "insist on a political solution to the conflict and to form a transitional government".

Russia voiced concern Monday at Israeli air strikes, saying that they threatened to escalate tensions in neighboring countries.
"We are looking into and analyzing all the circumstances surrounding the especially concerning reports of the May 3 and May 5 Israeli air strikes," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"A further escalation of the armed conflict severely raises the risk of creating centres of tension in Lebanon as well as in Syria, and also destabilising the still relatively stable situation in the region of the Israeli-Lebanese border," the statement added.

Also on Monday, China implicitly criticized the raids, saying it is “opposed the the use of force and believe that the sovereignty of any country should be respected.”

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that China urged all sides to "exercise restraint and refrain from actions that may escalate tensions".

Her comments came at a regular press briefing, as Zionist Prime Minister arrived on a five-day trip to China, which will end in Beijing with meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

REGIONAL-REGIONAL CONDEMNATIONS
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi denounced the Israeli attack on Syria, stressing that the raids show the relation between the Zionist entity and the terrorist groups who are fighting against the Syrian people.

In an interview with al-Manar TV, Salehi said that the raids came as a result of the achievements carried out by the Syrian Army, and the green light by the US administration and the Western governments.

Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby warned of serious repercussions from the Israeli attacks and called on the U.N. Security Council to "immediately move to stop the Israeli aggressions on Syria."

Elaraby described the Israeli airstrikes as a "grave violation of the sovereignty of an Arab state that will further complicate the issue in Syria and expose the region's security and stability to the most serious threats and consequences."

Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour called on the Arab League to take a "firm stance regarding Israel's aggression against Syria."
Mansour said that Israel is paving the way "for a wide aggression that would blow up the region."

Egyptian President Mohamad Mursi condemned Israel's airstrikes, calling them a violation of international law and warning they complicate the crisis in that country.

Algeria also slammed the Israeli attacks as seriously violating the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of an Arab state.
The country's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Amar Belani, said "Algeria urges the UN Security Council to assume its responsibility through putting an end to these blatant attacks that worsen the already degraded situation in the region."

Meanwhile, the Jordanian Professional Associations also condemned the Israeli aggression against Syria, saying "it is a continuation of Israel's violation of the rights of the Arabs."

"All should support the Syrians in light of this aggression," Mohammad Ababneh, head of the associations, said, adding that the Arabs should unify their efforts in light of this aggression which seeks to deepen the crisis and differences among the Arabs.