The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned that the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip could inflame extremism and terrorism in the Arab and Islamic Worlds, adding that the effects of the war might be even more dangerous than the war itself. Speaking to the BBC, he said he backed the idea of stopping arms smuggling for the Palestinians from Egypt into the Gaza Strip. However, he affirmed this would only be part of a comprehensive solution to the conflict in the Middle East and not necessarily of an immediate ceasefire. He also called for an end to the Israeli military operations in Gaza as well as to rocket attacks against Israel. Al-Assad added that if Israel wanted Palestinian armed men to stop their rocket attacks, it had to fully respect the ceasefire and lift the embargo on Gaza. He also affirmed that Israel's internal policy had come up with a weak government incapable of abiding by the peace process. He then affirmed that the Bush administration had failed to be the required mediator. He also accused Israel of not respecting the ceasefire, making clear that his country, which is home to Hamas leaders in exile, was doing all it could to reach a ceasefire.
