Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned against any foreign attack against his country, saying the military action will cause instability in the whole Middle East.
Speaking to Britain's Sunday Times newspaper, Assad said the Arab League's intervention could provide a pretext for a Western military action, warning that a war against Syria would create an “earthquake” across the region, AFP reported on Saturday.
“If they are logical, rational and realistic, they shouldn't do it because the repercussions are very dire. Military intervention will destabilize the region as a whole, and all countries will be affected,” he said.
The Syrian president referred to the mounting foreign pressure on his government, but vowed that his country “will not bow down and that it will continue to resist the pressure being imposed on it.”
The remarks come in response to a decision by the Arab League which set a deadline of Saturday for Syria to comply with its peace plan, threatening to impose sanctions if Damascus failed to end the months-long unrest in the country.
The Arab bloc, which had earlier suspended Syria's membership over the unrest, called on the Syrian government to allow in teams of observers to help establish calm in the country, a move Damascus has described as “illegitimate and dangerous.”
Syria has been experiencing a deadly unrest ever since mid-March, with demonstrations being held both against and in support of the Assad government.
Thousands of people, including hundreds of security forces and army personnel, have been killed in the ongoing violence, which the Syrian government blames on outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists.
Damascus also says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country and the security forces have been given clear instructions not to harm civilians.
In addition, Syrian state TV has broadcast reports showing seized weapons caches and confessions by terrorist elements describing how they obtained arms from foreign sources.
