News - Middle East: Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Faisal Mekdad has strongly condemned the latest Israeli air strikes that hit targets in the vicinity of the capital Damascus, emphasizing that his country will definitely give a crushing response to such acts of aggression at some point in the future.

“Under the cover of passenger planes, they (Israeli military forces) carry out attacks against their designated targets [inside Syria] either from underneath or above the aircraft,” Mekdad said in an exclusive interview with the online Omani Arabic-language newspaper 'Atheer.

He noted, “Had Syrian air defense units sprung into action and induced a knee-jerk reaction, a civilian plane could have been targeted and everyone would lay the blame on the Damascus government. We decide, therefore, to exercise self-restraint and not to show any reactions in such cases.”

“Our position concerning such attacks is fairly clear. We warn the Tel Aviv regime that an adequate response to such hostilities awaits them and it will be given sooner or later,” the Syrian foreign minister underscored.