Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said yesterday that Syria will not
sit tight if Israeli ground troops invade Lebanon and approach his country, the
official SANA news agency reported.
"If Israel invades Lebanon over ground and comes near to us, which threatens
the national security (of Syria), Syria will not sit tight," Bilal was quoted as
saying in an interview with a Spanish newspaper.
Meanwhile, the minister criticized remarks of US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice that her country rejects a ceasefire.
"It is unjustified for the United States not to work for a ceasefire," said
the minister, who termed the remarks as "waiting for Israel to completely
destroy Lebanon and for it to have to be evacuated completely."
"Israel would not be the only player in the region," Bilal said, while
asserting Syria's efforts to work for a just and comprehensive peace in the
region.
Syria, which supports Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, has condemned the
ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon and called for a ceasefire as soon as
possible.
Israel has been battling along its northern border with Hezbollah over the
past 12 days in an effort to bring back its captive soldiers and remove
Hezbollah from the border area. The conflict has killed more than 360 Lebanese
and 36 Israelis.