STORY: Syria condemns U.S. strikes, branding Washington as primary source of global instability
SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 3, 2024
DATELINE: Feb. 4, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:09
LOCATION: Damascus
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. exterior of Syrian Foreign Ministry 
2. various of the targeted site (courtesy of Syrian State TV)

STORYLINE:

The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Saturday lashed out at the U.S. administration for its attacks in eastern Syria, accusing Washington of being a primary source of global instability.
   
In a scathing statement, the ministry said the U.S. military forces are threatening international security and peace through attacks on nations, peoples, and sovereignty, and escalating conflicts in the Middle East.
  
The ministry accused the United States of attempting to revive terrorist activities in the region, emphasizing its consistent role in escalating conflicts in the already volatile Middle East.
   
In a critique directed at the U.S. administration for conducting a series of airstrikes on military positions in eastern Syria after midnight, reportedly targeting Iranian-backed militias' strongholds, the ministry asserted that the attack is just one instance of the recurrent violations by the United States. The ministry cited a pattern of aggression, including actions by the alleged international coalition formed in 2014.
   
It strongly denounced what it deemed as U.S. backing for terrorism, civilian casualties, and ongoing exploitation of Syrian national resources.
   
Besides, the ministry criticized the U.S. administration for neglecting the United Nations Charter and international law, expressing apprehension about the "paralysis" within the United Nations Security Council. It attributed this paralysis to U.S. interference, impeding the council's ability to address the alleged serious violations.
   
While neither Syrian state media nor the army reported an exact number of casualties resulting from the U.S. airstrikes, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 18 militants were killed as the strikes hit strongholds of the Iranian-backed militias along 130 km of areas in Deir al-Zour.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Damascus.
(XHTV)