Moscow, Oct 05: Russia today expressed concern at the Israeli strike on an alleged terror base near Syrian capital Damascus and urged restraint to prevent escalation of hostilities in West Asia. "It is quite evident that such acts lead to the expansion of geographical dimension of the confrontation,” Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said cautioning that other countries could be drawn into it resulting in "even more dramatic consequences" for this region and global security.

"Moscow is concerned at the reports coming in about the possibility of more Israeli operations against terrorists, not depending on where they are located," Yakovenko said in a statement aired by state-controlled "Mayak" radio.

"We urge all the involved parties in the conflict to display maximum restraint and act with balance and responsibility to prevent further unwinding of the spiral of violence and avert regional destabilisation, results of which are hard to foresee," Yakovenko declared urging the need for energetic efforts of the world community for the resumption of West Asia dialogue.

Bureau Report