Russia reacts to attack on American military base, saying US should 'respond' but to its own 'crimes'

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Washington must "respond," but "respond to people for its crimes," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, commenting on US President Joe Biden's remarks about a recent drone attack on the Syrian-Jordanian border area that killed three American soldiers.

"He said a phrase, but did not finish it: Washington will 'respond,' but only to people for its crimes. For some reason, it is not held responsible before the law for those terrible, criminal, and illegal actions that it took against so many countries and peoples," Zakharova said in response to a question from Anadolu during a press conference in Moscow.

"It is time for Washington to answer for its crimes, and they only know how to respond with force, to use force, which does not lead to resolving situations, but only aggravate them," she said.

In reaction to the Jan. 27 drone attack in the Syrian-Jordanian border area that killed three US troops, President Joe Biden said Washington "will respond," saying the attack was "carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq."

When asked about the UN International Court of Justice hearing on Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia in the case of "allegations of genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide," Zakharova said the Russian team will be present in The Hague on Friday.

"We expect the court to show impartiality and independence as the main judicial body of the UN organization," she emphasized.

Substantive comments would be provided after the announcement of the decision, she said.

"And we also draw attention to the fact that this decision is an interim one and will only concern the presence or absence of the court's authority to consider the case," she noted.

Kyiv filed a lawsuit against Russia in Feb. 2022, after Moscow launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

In March 2022, the court called on the Russian Federation to suspend its military operation on Ukrainian territory and also urged both sides to refrain from any actions that could delay the trial.

In October 2023, Russia raised preliminary objections to the jurisdiction of the court and the admissibility of the claim.