China urges ‘respect’ for Syrian sovereignty amid Israeli airstrikes

China on Thursday called for "respect" for Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity amid Israeli airstrikes on the Mideast nation.

"No action should be taken, in particular amid the ongoing turbulence in the Middle East, that escalates the situation," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference in Beijing.

The Israeli army on Wednesday launched airstrikes on the Syrian capital Damascus as well as Suwayda and Daraa on the pretext of protecting the Druze community. Another strike reportedly followed early Thursday on a Syrian military base.

The Interior Ministry said the attacks had killed more than 30 people and injured nearly 100.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa Thursday said that Israel's plans to undermine the region's stability had been thwarted by intervention by outside mediators and the state's own efforts.

In a televised speech, Sharaa said that despite Israeli interventions targeting civilian and public institutions, "state efforts to restore stability and expel outlaw factions have succeeded."

This would not have happened "without the effective intervention of American, Arab, and Turkish mediation, which saved the region from an unknown fate," he added.