MIDEAST >Why didn't al-Assad even throw a pebble at Israel: Turkish FM

BELGRADE - Hürriyet

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu criticized the Israeli raid in Syria this week, severely questioning Damascus' inaction on the aggression. "Why didn't [Bashar] al-Assad even throw a pebble when Israeli jets were flying over his palace and playing with the dignity of his country?" Davutoğlu told reporters on his way to Serbian capital Belgrade for a bilateral visit, daily Hürriyet has reported.

"Why didn't the Syrian Army, which has been attacking its own innocent people for 22 months now from the air with jets and by land with tanks and artillery fire, respond to Israel's operation? Why can't al-Assad, who gave order to fire SCUD missiles at Aleppo, do anything against Israel?" Davutoğlu said.
Davutoğlu said they did not know the precise circumstances of the raid but added that Turkey would not stay unresponsive to an Israeli attack against any Muslim country.

Davutoğlu also accused Syria's embattled leader of having made a secret deal with Israel. "Is there a secret agreement between al-Assad and Israel? Wasn't the Syrian army founded to protect its country and its people against this sort of aggression? The al-Assad regime only abuses. Why don't you use the same power that you use against defenseless women against Israel, which you have seen as an enemy since its foundation," he said.

Syria accused Israel of attacking a military site outside of the capital and a weapons convoy near the Lebanese border on Jan. 30.

Over the past months, there had been much speculation surrounding the crash of Turkish F-4 jet on June 22 near the Syrian coast. Turkey has long said it was struck by Syria in international waters, while Damascus has claimed that it was hit with anti-aircraft fire close to the Arab republic’s coast. 

February/02/2013

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