Peres Slams ‘Insufficient’ World Efforts on Syria, Hopes Rebels will ‘Win’

Israeli President Shimon Peres urged the international community on Sunday to bolster efforts to stop the bloodshed in Syria, and said he hoped the rebels "will win" their struggle.

In an interview with Israeli public radio, Peres said the "efforts of the international community are insufficient."

"We cannot remain indifferent to the tiny coffins that contain the bodies of children," he said ahead of a trip to Washington.

"The massacres get worse each day. It's shameful. I have the deepest respect for the rebels who expose themselves to live fire and I hope that they will win."

Deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon also weighed in on the conflict in Syria on Sunday, saying the Jewish state was ready to provide humanitarian assistance.

He said Israel was shocked by the situation in its northern neighbor and was willing to provide aid, including medicines and food.

"We are in contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations, and we have asked that injured people be evacuated to Jordan, where we can help them. But we are not in contact with the rebels -- that could harm them."

Israel remains formally at war with Syria, but the armistice line between the two countries has been largely quiet for years.

At the start of the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad in March last year, Israel said little publicly, with some analysts saying Assad's ouster could be bad for the Jewish state.

But in recent months, Israeli politicians have said Assad's overthrow is a matter of time and have condemned the bloodshed in Syria, offering humanitarian assistance and expressing hope that the regime's collapse could weaken the position of arch foe Iran, a staunch ally of Assad.