Ban Ki-moon urges Israel not to increase tension, respect Syria's sovereignty

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday urged all countries in the Middle East to avoid any provocative actions that could increase tensions and to respect each other's sovereignty, his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told KUNA in reaction to Israel's reported attack on a Syrian military base near Latakia, Syria. "The Secretary-General has seen the media reports but does not have any direct information. He urges all parties to avoid any actions that could increase tensions, and to respect the sovereignty of all countries in the region," he said without mentioning Israel or Syria by name. CNN quoted a US administration source on Thursday as saying Israel launched this week an attack, the fifth of its kind this year, on a military base near Latakia that contained a supply of Russian-made surface-to-air missiles that were destined for Hezbollah in Lebanon.