Damascus to Choose Time to React to Israel, Says Syrian Official

Damascus will respond to Israeli attacks against targets on its territory, but will "choose the moment" and may not do so immediately, a Syrian political official said on Monday.

"Syria will respond to the Israeli aggression and will choose the moment to do so," the official close to the regime, who was speaking from Damascus, told AFP in Beirut.

"It might not be immediate because Israel now is on high alert," he added.

"We will wait but we will answer."

Damascus accuses Israel of carrying out raids against three military sites near the Syrian capital on Sunday morning, 48 hours after another reported Israeli strike inside the war-torn country.

A senior Israeli source said the strikes targeted weapons bound for Hizbullah, which is allied with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

On Sunday, Syria's government said Israel's "aggression opens the door wide to all possibilities".

"The international community should know that the complex situation in the region has become more dangerous after this aggression," the cabinet said after an emergency meeting.

Syria "has not just a right but a duty to protect the homeland and the state and the people from any attack, whether internal or external, by all ways and means and capabilities available," it added.

Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot said Monday the Jewish state had sent Assad a secret message saying it "does not intend to become involved in the civil war" in his country.