Opposition Syrian National Coalition Condemns Israeli Attacks

The Syrian National Coalition opposition group on Sunday condemned Israeli strikes inside Syria, saying the Jewish state had "taken advantage" of the ongoing conflict.

"The Syrian Coalition condemns the Israeli attacks," it said in a statement.

It accused the regime of President Bashar Assad of complicity, saying it was responsible "for weakening the Syrian army by exhausting its forces in a losing battle against the Syrian people."

The umbrella opposition group said the timing of the strikes was "suspicious" because it could draw attention away from at least two reported incidents of mass killings by regime troops in Syria this week.

"It is not unlikely that as a result of these attacks, and world distraction, more crimes will be committed," it said.

"The Syrian Coalition deeply regrets the deafening silence and powerlessness of the international community in the face of such grievous violations of international laws, continued by the Assad regime and taken advantage of by Israel in order to fulfill clear objectives."

Syria's government said on Sunday that Israel targeted three military sites near Damascus, while a senior Israeli source said the attacks hit weapons destined for Lebanon's Hizbullah.

Earlier, the rebel Free Syrian Army reacted cautiously to news of the strikes, which followed an earlier reported Israeli attack on Syrian sites early on Friday.

"Of course the Free Syrian Army and any Syrian is bothered that their country is being bombed, but Syria is being bombed every day by Bashar Assad, and by Israel," FSA media and political coordinator Louay Muqdad told Agence France Presse.

"We wonder why there are so many missiles and military installations around Damascus when they should be close to the ceasefire line with Israel on the Golan Heights," he added.

"For us, the operations that we carry out every day are not related to Israeli attacks or anything else, and we will continue to fight until the fall of Assad," he said.