UN chief calls for calm after Israeli air strikes in Syria

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed deep concern over reports of air strikes in Syria by the Israeli Air Force. A statement from his spokesperson stressed that the United Nations does not have details of the reported incidents nor is in a position to independently verify that they took place. "The Secretary-General calls on all sides to exercise maximum calm and restraint, and to act with a sense of responsibility to prevent an escalation of what is already a devastating and highly dangerous conflict," Ban's spokesperson said in the statement. "The Secretary-General urges respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in the region, and adherence to all relevant Security Council resolutions," he continued. A series of powerful explosions rocked the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday, which Syria attributed to Israeli missile attacks on a Syrian military installation.