Russia condemns US strikes in Iraq, Syria

Russia condemns U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria and the situation needs to be considered by the UN Security Council, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Saturday.

"It is obvious that the airstrikes are deliberately designed to further inflame the conflict. By attacking, almost without pause, the facilities of allegedly pro-Iranian groups in Iraq and Syria, the United States are purposefully trying to drive the largest countries in the region into conflict," Zakharova said in a statement.

The United States launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and militias it backs, reportedly killing nearly 40 people, in retaliation for a deadly attack on U.S. troops.