Lebanese Officials Denounce Israeli Aggression on Syria

Several Lebanese officials condemned on Thursday an Israeli air strike against a Syrian military research center, accusing the Jewish state of exploiting the current situation in the neighboring country to carry out its “flagrant aggression.”

“Israel is exploiting the developments in Syria to carry out its aggressive policies, indifferent to all the humanitarian and international treaties,” President Michel Suleiman said in a statement issued by his press office.

He considered that the Israeli boycott of the United Nations Human Rights council session is yet a further proof that it undermines everything related to this field.

On Wednesday, Israel boycotted a review by the U.N.’s human rights council after it decided to investigate Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

For his part, Prime Minister Najib Miqati condemned the Israeli strike, saying "the Israeli enemy has proved its hostile intentions once again."

Miqati described "the attack on the sovereignty of an Arab nation" as "a blatant violation of international laws and charters."

"As we condemn this new aggression, we pray to God to protect Syria and its people," Miqati added.

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour also strongly denounced the attack, describing it as a “flagrant aggression.”

“This aggression confirms one more time the true approach adopted by the terrorist country Israel since 1948 and the threats by (the Jewish state) on the Arab peace and security,” Mansour said.

He considered that the de-facto peace that Israel wants to impose on the region will not “provide it with the required peace and security” that it is seeking.

“This aggression requires us Arabs to take a firm stance and confront it with all the legal means,” the FM added.

“Our stance from the developments in Syria is known,” al-Mustaqbal bloc leader Fouad Saniora said in a statement about the bloc's support for the Syrian revolution against President Bashar Assad.

But he condemned the Israeli aggression, saying “we reject attacks by the Israeli enemy on Arab land.”

On Wednesday, the Syrian army confirmed reports on an Israeli air strike that hit a military research center near Damascus at dawn, denying reports that the raid targeted a weapons convoy near the Lebanese border.

"Israeli fighter jets violated our airspace at dawn today and carried out a direct strike on a scientific research center in charge of raising our level of resistance and self-defense," Syria's army said.

The raid came "after terrorist groups made several failed attempts in the past months to take control of the site," its general command said, referring to rebels fighting to oust President Bashar Assad's regime.