CAIRO, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Arab Parliament condemned on Tuesday the recent Israeli airstrikes in Syria, describing them as a "brutal attack" that violates international laws and conventions.
In its statement following a meeting on Tuesday at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, the Arab Parliament stressed "the solidarity of all Arab peoples with the Syrian people and the integrity of its territories against any aggression."
Israel said it launched on Saturday airstrikes against Syria and Iranian military targets inside Syria following an Iranian drone launch into Israeli territories.
The Israeli air raids also came after the Syrian air defense brought down an Israeli F-16 fighter jet, a rare loss of an Israeli warplane that is greatly hailed by the Syrians.
Arab-Israeli relations in general and those between Syria and Israel in particular have been tense and haven't been fully normalised for decades, since the Arab-Israeli 1948 war and the Western-backed creation of Israel on occupied Palestinian territories.
Israel occupied Syria's Golan Heights in the 1967 war it won against its neighbors Syria, Egypt and Jordan.
Syria is currently suffering instability due to confrontations with armed rebels and terrorists from the declining Islamic State (IS) militant group.
The forces of the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Asad are backed by Russia, Iran and Shiite militias loyal to Iran including Lebanon's Hezbollah.
Russian troops in Syria have been launching bombing raids in support of the government forces, while a U.S.-led international anti-terror coalition has been launching airstrikes against IS targets in the conflict-stricken country.
The Arab Parliament stressed on Tuesday "the necessity for all regional states and powers to stop their interference in the Syrian domestic affairs and to give up killing and targeting civilians."
Since its eruption in March 2011, the Syrian crisis has claimed the lives of about half a million people and displaced and wounded over 14 million.
"The Arab Parliament stresses the necessity for all donor states to fulfil their commitments toward the Syrian refugees where they are displaced," said the statement.
