Syria: We'll respond to Israeli attacks

Syrian deputy foreign minister says order was given to promptly respond to 'new Israeli aggression,' denies weapons targetted were meant for Hezbollah

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad said that Damascus will respond "immediately and harshly to any additional attack by Israel."

The official said in an interview that "an order was given to immediately respond to any new Israeli aggression," following the airstrikes in Damascus over the weekend, attributed to the Israeli Air Force.

According to several reports, the alleged Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian weapons meant for Hezbollah, a claim which Miqdad calls a "lie."

"There is no Iran and Hezbollah" in Syria, he said and denied the existence of weapons convoys meant for the Shiite group in Lebanon.

Regarding the telephone talk on Monday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Miqdad said: "I think he had to say enough is enough," adding that the attacks endanger the region.

In an interview to CNN a few hours after the airstrikes, the Syrian deputy foreign minister said the attacks are an Israeli declaration of war which exemplify the alliance between the "Muslim terrorists," referring to the rebels and Israel.

He added that Syria will respond to the alleged Israeli attack at the right place and the right time.

Earlier on Thursday, the Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar reported that President Bashar Assad said his country "will give everything to Hezbollah" in gratitude for the Shiite group's support of the Syrian regime.

Assad vowed to imitate Hezbollah's example and turn Syria into "a nation of resistance (to Israel), for Syria and for future generations," referring to the alleged Israeli airstrikes in Damascus over the weekend.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4378412,00.html