Damascus: Syria threatened on Thursday to retaliate over what it says was an Israeli air raid, as President Bashar al-Assad’s allies rushed to denounce the strike that threatened to take the conflict beyond Syria’s borders.
Israel maintained a stony silence over Syria’s claims, as well as over separate reports that its jets had struck a weapons convoy near the Lebanon border.
Syria’s foreign ministry said Israel “and the states that protect it” are responsible for the air strike, and “affirms Syria’s right to defend itself and its territory and sovereignty,” state news agency SANA reported.
It called on “all the competent UN bodies to take the necessary steps given this grave Israeli violation, and to guarantee that it will not happen again.”
Damascus’s ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdel Karim Ali, stressed Syria’s right to respond to “the Zionist aggression.”
“The Israelis, and the United States behind them, along with their Arab and regional accomplices, realise that Syria, which defends its sovereignty and territory, may decide to respond by surprise to this aggression.”
“It is up to the competent powers to choose the appropriate answer, and to determine the means and the place,” Ali added in remarks to Lebanese website Al-Ahad, which is close to the powerful Shiite group Hezbollah.
Hezbollah denounced “a new Zionist aggression.”
Reaction from close Damascus ally Iran was strident, with Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian warning of severe fallout.
Without elaborating, he said the “Zionist regime’s attack on the outskirts of Damascus will have grave consequences for Tel Aviv,” in remarks reported by the ISNA news agency.
In the past, Iran has said that any Israeli attack on Syria would be considered an attack on the Islamic republic.
Russia’s foreign ministry said it was “deeply concerned” but was still trying to verify the Syrian allegations.
“If this information is confirmed, then we are dealing with unprovoked strikes against targets located on the territory of a sovereign state, which brazenly infringes on the UN Charter and is unacceptable, no matter the motive used for its justification,” it said.
Late on Wednesday, Syria accused Israel of launching a dawn strike on a military research centre in Jamraya, near Damascus.
“Israeli fighter jets violated our airspace… and carried out a direct strike on a scientific research centre in charge of raising our level of resistance and self-defence,” the army general command said, saying two workers had been killed.
The army denied separate reports citing security sources that an Israeli strike had targeted a weapons convoy from Syria near the border with Lebanon.
Amid speculation a convoy might have been en route to supply Hezbollah, the White House warned Syria not to do so.
While not confirming the targets of the Israeli raid, Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser, said that might “further destabilise the region.”
 Meanwhile, the White House said Vice President Joe Biden will discuss the carnage in Syria in Munich on Saturday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Syrian opposition chief Moaz al-Khatib.
Israel has frequently warned that if Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons fell into Hezbollah hands, this would be a casus belli.
It has also raised the alarm over long-range Scud missiles or other advanced weaponry, such as anti-aircraft systems and surface-to-surface missiles, being transferred to Hezbollah.
Israeli officials and the military refused to confirm or deny on Thursday any involvement in the alleged attack.
 Commentators compared the modus operandi to a 2007 bombing raid on an undeclared Syrian nuclear facility at Al-Kibar, widely understood to be an Israeli strike but never acknowledged by the Jewish state.
On the political front, Syria’s main opposition group was to meet Thursday in Cairo, a day after a surprise statement from its chief that he was willing to hold talks with regime officials, a Syrian National Coalition member said.
“This meeting was organised well before the Syrian National Coalition leader, Moaz al-Khatib, made his statement,” SNC member Samir Nashar told AFP.
Khatib said on Wednesday he was “ready for direct discussions with representatives of the Syrian regime in Cairo, Tunis or Istanbul,” laying down conditions including the release of “160,000 detainees.”
On the battlefront on Thursday, fierce clashes raged between soldiers and rebels on the southern outskirts of Damascus as regime tanks pounded the area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
It reported a provisional Thursday death toll of at least 37 people.
The United Nations says more than 60,000 people have been killed in the country’s 22-month conflict.
Dear TNT Reader,
At The News Tribe, our mission is to bring you free, independent, and unbiased news and content that keeps you informed and empowered. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism, as we understand that we are a platform for truth.
Apart from independent global news coverage, we also commit our unique focus on the Muslim world. In an age marked by the troubling rise of Islamophobia and widespread misrepresentation of Muslims in Western media, we strive to provide accurate and fair coverage.
But to continue doing so, we need your support. Even a small donation of 1$ can make a big difference. Your contribution will help us maintain the quality of our news and counteract the negative narratives that are so prevalent.
Please consider donating today to ensure we can keep delivering the news that matters. Together, we can make a positive impact on the world, and work towards a more inclusive, informed global society.
Donate Monthly Subscription Annual Subscription