Syrian state media reported that the country’s “air defences… responded to an Israeli missile attack that targeted the vicinity of Damascus and the southern region, shooting down most of the missiles before reaching their targets”. A Russian military spokesperson subsequently argued that “the Israeli General Staff’s military air operations using passenger jets for cover or [for] blocking of retaliatory fire by Syria missile systems is becoming a typical trait of the Israel Air Force”, and indicated that an “Airbus-320 was escorted out of the danger zone”. Russia’s ambassador to Syria noted that “the Israeli raids are, of course, provocative and very dangerous for the situation in Syria... in addition to the clear violation of Syrian sovereignty and the real threat to the lives of innocent people, all of this increases the possibility of conflict over Syria and runs counter to efforts to achieve stability and a political settlement”.