DHAKA: Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has said that his country is capable of confronting any external attack, a day after his US counterpart Barack Obama called for military action against him.

‘Syria ... is capable of confronting any external aggression,’ state television quoted Assad as saying on Sunday at a meeting with Iranian officials, reports Al Jazeera.

‘The American threats of launching an attack against Syria will not discourage Syria away from its principles ... or its fight against terrorism supported by some regional and Western countries, first and foremost the United States of America.’

Syria generally refers to rebels fighting to topple Assad as ‘terrorists’.

The comments came as John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, said his government had obtained evidence that sarin gas was used in an attack in Syria last month that the US claims killed 1,400 people.

Hair and blood samples provided to the US from first responders on the scene of last month’s attack in Damascus ‘have tested positive for signatures of sarin’, Kerry told NBC and CNN television on Sunday.

BDST: 2013 HRS, SEPT 01, 2013
RoR/RK