Syria has denounced Israel to the United Nations Security Council for ‘flagrant defiance of international law’, after allegations that Israeli warplanes flew into its airspace last week in a possible raid on weapons destined for Hizbollah militia in Lebanon.

In a letter to Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, and the Security Council, released on Tuesday, Syria’s ambassador accused Israel of “choosing aggression and escalation” which – if ignored – would “subject the region...to serious consequences that may be difficult to control”.