Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told US President George W. Bush Syria reserved the right to retaliate for Israel's attack on a Syrian radar base in Lebanon in which three Syrian soldiers were killed, his spokesman said today.
"The president [Assad] pointed out that the repeated calls for self-restraint have become useless," the spokesman said.
He also quoted Mr Assad as urging Mr Bush to be courageous enough to describe the Israeli attack as an aggression.
Israel said its Monday attack on the Syrian base was in response to the killing of one of its soldiers on the Lebanese-Israeli border on Saturday by the Syrian-based Lebanese Hizbollah fighters.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip launched two mortars into Israel today in an attack of the sort that prompted Israel to reoccupy parts of the Gaza Strip early in the week.
The Israeli army said no one was wounded and no damage was done when the mortar bombs fell.