The deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla has increased the chances of war in the Middle East, Syrian President Bashar Assad said Wednesday in an interview to the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Assad clarified that Syria was working to prevent a regional war, but added that there was no chance of a peace deal with the current Israeli administration.
He said the flotilla raid, which left nine Turkish activists killed, had "destroyed any chance for peace in the near future, mainly because it proved that this government is another pyromaniac government, and you cannot achieve peace with such a government."
Israel and United States and Britain have accused Syria of arming Hezbollah with advanced and accurate weapons, but Assad appears unfazed by the accusations, promising that he is interested in good relations with the American administration but won't give up on the alliance with Iran .