Syria capable of repulsing any aggression: Assad

DAMASCUS, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said his country is capable of repulsing any aggression that might target its people thanks to the strength of its military and the awareness of its people, according to the state-media.

Assad made the remarks during his meeting Sunday with the head of Iran's supreme national security council, Saeed Jalili, who set foot in Damascus a day earlier for talks with Assad and top officials about the recent Israeli airstrike that targeted a Syrian military research center last Wednesday.

The state-run SANA news agency said the meeting touched upon the situation in the region, particularly after the recent Israeli attack.

During the meeting, Assad stressed that "this aggression reveals the real role Israel is playing in cooperation with external hostile powers and their tools on the Syrian ground to destabilize Syria."

He stressed that Syria with the awareness of its people and the strength of its army is capable of repelling any aggression that targets its people and their historical role, according to SANA.

Meanwhile, Jalili stressed his confidence in the "wisdom" of the Syrian leadership in dealing with this "wanton aggression that targets the leading role of Syria in the resistance axe," stressing that his country's full support to Syria in the face of the "Zionist enemy."