Syria's Assad threatens to attack Israel

Topic: Protests in Syria

"If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than 6 hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv," Assad said

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has threatened to attack Israel in the event of any Western military intervention in his country's domestic affairs, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than 6 hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv," Assad said at a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday.

The comments came after Russia and China had vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria for its brutal crackdown on protesters.

Assad also vowed to call on the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah for support.

"All these events will happen in three hours, but in the second three hours, Iran will attack U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf and American and European interests will be targeted simultaneously," he said.

More than 2,700 people are estimated to have been killed across Syria since protests against the Assad regime began in March.

Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said Moscow vetoed the resolution - drafted by France with Britain, Germany and Portugal - because it was based on "the philosophy of confrontation."