FILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gestures at a news conference on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Israeli air strikes on the territory of Syria might lead to a further destablisation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a newspaper interview.

“Such actions ... further destabilize the situation and could lead to an escalation,” pan-Arab daily newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat quoted him as saying.

“Syria should not become a platform for implementing plans or settling accounts. The main task of all concerned forces must be to help restore peace to Syrian territory.”