Syria Says Israel Strike 'Opens Door to All Possibilities', Confirms Israel Coordinating with 'Terrorist Groups'
Israeli strikes on Syrian military sites have opened the door "to all possibilities" and made the situation in the region "more dangerous," Syria's government said on Sunday.
"The government of the Syrian Arab Republic confirms that this aggression opens the door wide to all possibilities," the cabinet said in a statement read at a news conference by Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi.
"The international community should know that the complex situation in the region has become more dangerous after this aggression," the statement added.
Syria "has not just a right but a duty to protect the homeland and the state and the people from any attack, whether internal or external, by all ways and means and capabilities available," it said.
The comments came after the cabinet held an emergency meeting to discuss what the foreign ministry described as at least three Israeli strikes on Syrian military sites overnight.
In letters to the United Nations Security Council, the foreign ministry accused Israel of coordinating with "terrorist groups" including the al-Nusra Front rebel group that has pledged allegiance to al-Qaida.
A senior Israeli source said the attacks early on Sunday hit Iranian weapons destined for Lebanon's Hizbullah.
"The blatant Israeli aggression against military sites in Syria confirms the coordination between Israel and terrorist groups and the takfiris of al-Nusra Front, which is a branch of al-Qaida," the ministry said in a letter to the United Nations.
The ministry said the support was intended to boost "terrorist groups after the failure of their recent attempts to achieve control on the ground."
"This leaves no doubt that Israel is the beneficiary, the engine and sometimes the executor of the terrorist attacks taking place in Syria against the state and the people," the letter added.
The letter said allegations that Syria was transferring anything outside its borders were "unfounded," in reference to claims that Israel was targeting weapons bound for Hizbullah in Lebanon.
It said the Jewish state targeted three sites from Israeli and Lebanese airspace.
"Around 01:40am, Israeli military aircraft over the occupied territories and south Lebanon launched an aerial aggression by firing missiles against three positions belonging to the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic," the letter said.
Syria uses the term "occupied territories" to refer to Israel, and the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights.
"This aggression caused deaths and injuries and serious destruction at the sites and in the surrounding civilian regions," the letter said.
Source: Agence France Presse
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