WASHINGTON - The United States on Thursday declined comment on reports that Syria opened fired on Israeli warplanes, which Damascus believes violated its airspace.
"I have seen those press reports. I don't have anything for you that could substantiate them one way or the other," State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters Thursday.
"Certainly I don't want to comment on at this point in time," Casey said.
A department official who declined to be identified said Washington was not particularly concerned about the incident which could heighten tensions between Israel and Syria.
"I don't think anybody here is viewing this with any particular or unique concern," the official said.
A Syrian cabinet minister confirmed Thursday that his country had launched what Damascus considered a counterattack to perceived Israeli aggression.
"They intervened in our airspace ... which they should not do -- we are a sovereign country and they should not come into (our) airspace," Expatriate Affairs Minister Bussaina Shaaban said.
The standoff comes amid a continuing war of words between Syria and Israel, with each blaming side the other for stoking regional tensions and for the failure to revive peace talks that have been stalled for seven years.
09/06/2007 18:03 GMT