DAMASCUS fought shy of condemning the US-led bombing raids on its territory yesterday, drawing comfort from Washington’s heads up to its UN ambassador shortly before the onslaught began.

The Foreign Ministry announced that the US had informed President Bashar al-Assad’s government of imminent air strikes against Isis, hours before bombing started.

Syrian officials have long insisted that any strikes against Isis inside their country should come only after co-ordination with Damascus, warning that moving without its consent would be an act of aggression and a breach of sovereignty.

However, they noted with apparent contentment that Secretary of State John Kerry had used Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al Jaafari as an intermediary to divulge US plans.

Syria said that it would continue to fight against Isis and pledged not to cease its co-operation with “countries harmed by the group, first and foremost Iraq.”

“The Syrian Arab Republic says it stands with any international effort to fight terrorism, no matter what a group is called, whether Daesh or Nusra Front or something else,” it declared in an obvious bid to hop on board the international anti-Isis coalition.

Nevertheless, its close allies Iran and Russia were critical of Washington’s actions.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani branded them illegal because they were neither approved nor co-ordinated with Syria’s government.

He said that US policy was confused because it simultaneously opposes Isis while trying to undermine the Assad government.

Russia warned that “unilateral” US air strikes were destabilising the region and urged Washington to secure Damascus’s consent or UN security council support.

foreigneditor@peoples-press.com