Iran condemns Israeli 'brutal aggression' against Syria

Iran's foreign minister on Thursday condemned what he called Israel's "brutal aggression" against Syria, following claims by Damascus that the Jewish state's air force had hit a military research centre. "There is no doubt that this aggression is part of a Western and Zionist strategy to push aside the success of the Syrian people and government to return to stability and security," Ali Akbar Salehi said in a statement. It underscores the "alignment of terrorist groups with the Zionists' objectives," he added, using the Syrian regime's stock word for describing rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad. On Wednesday, the Syrian army accused Israel of launching a strike on its military research centre in Jamraya, near Damascus. Israeli officials and the military refused on Thursday to confirm or deny any involvement in the alleged attack and had no comment on reports that its warplanes had struck a weapons convoy along the Syria-Lebanon border. Iran is Syria's principal ally, along with Russia and China, and accuses Western and certain Arab countries of arming the rebels.