US stance toward Syria 'detached from reality': Official

, Sep 12: A high-ranking Syrian official said on Thursday that Washington's stance toward the situation in

is "detached from reality and the requirements of fighting terrorism", said TV reports.

In an interview with the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV, Buthaina Shaaban, political and media advisor of President Bashar al-Assad, charged that Washington's aim is to impose its "hegemony" on the region and to strip Russia of its role in the Middle East, Xinhua reported.

Shaaban made the remarks just a day after the US decided to strike the positions of Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria and to arm the "moderate" rebels that are fighting both the Syrian government and the IS.

In a speech to the nation, US President Barack Obama said that his administration could not rely on the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and that they must strengthen the Syrian opposition as "the best counterweight to extremists like IS".

Obama's decision to strike the IS positions in Syria came after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution last month to allow targeting the IS and the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. The Syrian government welcomed the UN resolution and repeatedly said it was ready to cooperate with any country desirous of fighting terrorism, as long as such countries coordinate with the Syrian government.

But still Obama's speech apparently raised the ire of the Syrian administration, whose officials overtly said on Thursday that any uncoordinated actions against their country without the consent of the Syrian government would be deemed as an "aggression, " and that Syrian "will fight anyone who commits an act of aggression against us".

Shaaban said the Syrian people and the army are the ones who would tilt the balance of power on ground, charging that the Western countries have supported the terrorist groups in Syria with cash and weapons.

IANS