Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) visiting military commanders and soldiers in Syria (file photo)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned that a Western military action against the Arab country would ignite a Å“regional war”.
If the United States and France decide to attack Syria, “chaos and extremism will spread. The risk of a regional war exists,” Assad said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro on Monday.
He described the Middle East as a “powder keg” and warned that in case of any assault “everyone will lose control of the situation.”
the Syrian president also challenged Washington and Paris to provide proof of their allegations that Damascus has used chemical weapons, saying that the leaders of both countries “have been incapable of doing that, including before their own peoples.”
The call for military action against Syria intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.
Damascus has vehemently denied the accusations, saying the chemical attack was carried out by the militants themselves as a false-flag operation.
Asked whether France has become an enemy of Syria, Assad said that whoever contributes “financially and militarily to terrorists is an enemy of the Syrian people.”
“The French people are not our enemy, but the policy of their government is hostile to the Syrian people. Insofar as French government policy is hostile to the Syrian people, this state will be its enemy,” he said.
On Monday, Syria called on the United Nations to prevent any US-led aggression against the crisis-hit country.
“The Syrian government calls on the UN Secretary-General to assume his responsibilities… and to make efforts to prevent any aggression against Syria,” Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar Ja’afari wrote in a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
On Saturday, US President Barack Obama announced a decision to take unilateral military action against the Arab country without a UN mandate.
Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.
According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million of others displaced due to the violence.
IA/MHB
Republished from: Press TV