MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia does not support French airstrikes targeting oil facilities in Syria controlled by Islamic State (ISIL) militants as they are not approved by the legitimate Syrian government and cannot be justified by self-defense claims, a senior Russian diplomat said.
"We cannot support such actions primarily because they are carried out without the consent of the Syrian government," Ilya Rogachev, head of the Department for New Challenges and Threats (DNCT) at the Foreign Ministry said in an interview with the Russian Kommersant newspaper to be published on Friday.
Rogachev suggested that the French airstrikes on oil facilities in Syria could pursue goals that contradict the announced drive to ensure France's self-defense in light of the growing terrorist threat.
"Because the French authorities consider [Syrian President] Bashar Assad and Islamic State as equal priority enemies of France, the airstrikes are designed to hurt both. For your knowledge, the French do not attack similar targets in Iraq," Rogachev stressed.
"I suspect that the French partners anticipate the ultimate success of the Syrian army offensive [against IS militants] and subsequent return of oil facilities under control of the Syrian government," Rogachev said.
France launched major airstrikes in Syria after the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, which took the lives of 129 people, injuring over 350. The Islamic State (ISIL) jihadist group, operating in Syria and Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attacks.
On Thursday, French President Francois Hollande ordered to increase the intensity of military operations against the ISIL in Iraq and Syria.
According to French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, airstrikes against various non-military facilities of the ISIL, including oil facilities that are needed to support the militants’ financing, are essential to defeat the jihadist organization.
Earlier in November, France conducted airstrikes against oil pumping stations controlled by ISIL on Syrian territory.
