"If Syria feels threatened by Israel, it will be hard to stop our missile operators from responding to the Israeli aggression by attacking the Dimona nuclear reactor," Syrian legislator Muhammad Habash was quoted as saying Saturday.
In an interview with Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Habash emphasized that the Dimona reactor is "within range" of the Syrian missiles.
Habash told the London-based newspaper that Syria did not rule out a violation of its sovereignty by Israel and said Damascus was "prepared" for this eventuality.
However, the Syrian legislator stressed that Damascus did not want to escalate the situation in the region.
Habash, who coordinates with the Presidential Palace in Damascus, also claimed that international mediators were constantly making efforts to renew ties between Israel and Syria but underlined that at the moment, there was no contact between the two countries.
Despite Habash's threat, Amos Gilad, head of the Defense Ministry Diplomatic-Security Branch, dismissed any notion of high tension between Israel and Syria.
He told Israel Radio that he chose to see Habash's words in a different, more positive light.
"Since Israel is not threatening Syria, and the Syrians are well aware of this, there is no war on the agenda between Israel and Syria," said Gilad. "Put simply," he continued, "Israel does not intend to attack Syria, Syria doesn't intend to attack Israel and, therefore, no real tension is expected between the two countries on the military front."
Gilad claimed that the current period was actually one of "relative calm" between the two sides.
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