Press TV - TheSyrian ambassador to Chinasays Damascus will not "hesitate" to avenge Israeli attacks, stressing the nation's right to self-defense against any act of aggression.
Imad Moustapha told Russia's Sputnik news agency on Fridaythat Syria would shoot downmissiles fired byTel Aviv and target the regime's warplanes that violate the Syrian airspace.
"Syria will continue tostrengthen its air defenses, attempt tointerject and downevery missile fired byIsrael, and target any Israeli air force asset that infringes onSyrian national airspace," he said.
Syria will further "not hesitate tolaunch its own retaliatory attacks ontoIsraeli military positions inaccordance withits undisputed right ofself-defense and holding the aggressor accountable," he added.
Moustapha's remarks came one day after Israeli jets attacked dozens of targets insideSyriain what was said to be the most extensive strike in the Arab country in decades.
Minister of military affairs, Avigdor Lieberman, claimed that Israel had "hit almost all of the Iranian infrastructure in Syria" in response to a barrage of 20 rockets fired at Israeli military outposts in the occupied Golan Heights.
The Syrian envoy rejected the Israeli claim that its assault had been directed atIranian infrastructure.
"Israels claim that it had targeted Iranian assets inSyria has no substance. The Israeli claim was made toportray its attacks onSyria asan attempt tocontain Iran, thus winning the approval ofthe US and the Saudis," he said.
The Syrian army command said on Thursday that its air defense systems had managed to intercept and destroy most of the Israeli rockets fired at the Arab country.
Over the past few years, Israel has frequently attacked military targets in Syria in what is considered as an attempt to prop up terrorist groups that have been suffering heavy defeats against Syrian government forces.
Israel has also been providing weapons to anti-Damascus militants as well as medical treatment to the Takfiri elements wounded in Syria.
On the contrary, Iran has been offering advisory military assistance to the Syrian government fighting an all-out foreign-sponsored militancy.
