Syria vows to punish Israel for presumed role in airstrike

An anonymous official affiliated to the Syrian government told AFP news agency in Beirut yesterday that the regime will “choose the moment” to hit back at Israel, presumed by Syria to be responsible for the airstrike on Damascus on Sunday morning. This as the deputy head of Hezbollah’s executive council, Shekh Nabil Quoak declared they are “prepared to respond to any Israeli aggression.”

Israel carried out its second air strike in days on Syria early on Sunday, a Western intelligence source said, in an attack that shook Damascus with a series of powerful blasts and drove columns of fire into the night sky. Reuters/Sana/Handout

Sheikh Nabil Quoak told those gathered at an event in southern Lebanon that whoever opposes the Syrian regime “serves Israeli goals.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went on an official visit to China, where both Chinese and Russian officials voiced criticism of Sunday’s airstrike, saying they opposed military intervention in Syria.

For its part, Israel has attempted to distance itself somewhat from the Syrian opposition, with Netanyahu's aide Tzachi Hanegbi telling reporters that any activity is purely intended to target Hezbollah, not the Syrian regime.

The General in charge of Israel’s northern borders, Yair Golan, attempted to dismiss the idea of rising tensions, talking to reporters while out jogging, as two reportedly errant mortars landed in the Golan Heights.

The opposition Syrian National Coalition spoke out on Sunday to condemn the airstrike, accusing Israel of “taking advantage” of the conflict in Syria.