Syrian President Bashar al-Assad claimed Syria has weapons more sophisticated than chemical weapons that could "blindside Israel,"The Times of Israel reports.
“Originally, we produced chemical weapons in the 1980s as a deterrent to Israel’s nuclear capabilities,” Assad told the Hezbollah-affiliated, Lebanon-based Al-Akhbar newspaper.
"Today, we have weapons that are far more important and sophisticated and that can blindside Israel in the blink of an eye.”
Assad brushed off chemical disarmament, saying that the process will "cost large sums of money and take years of hard work" and"it would best if these weapons were just taken from us."
He claimed that the West went after his stockpile "to break the balance of power in the Middle East and ensure Israel's security," but the regime "turned the tables, and put the ball in their court. They were all embarrassed in light of public opinion in the United States and Europe."
Assad has acknowledged that U.S. could still attack Syria but said that staunch ally Russia has his back.
“We have a full Russian pledges that Russian troops will enter in any war waged against Syria,” he was quoted as saying according to The Times of Israel.