Turkey PM condemns Israel over Syria strike

ISTANBUL: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel on Sunday of waging "state terrorism" as he condemned the air strike on Syria as an unacceptable violation of international law.

"Those who have been treating Israel like a spoilt child should expect anything from them, at any time," said Erdogan, a harsh critic of the Jewish state.

"As I say time and again, Israel has a mentality of waging state terrorism. Right now, there is no telling what it might do and where it might do it," he told reporters.

Erdogan was speaking after Israel's outgoing Defence Minister Ehud Barak implicitly confirmed that it had staged Wednesday's bombing raid which Damascus said targeted a military complex near the capital.

"We cannot regard a violation of air space as acceptable. What Israel does is completely against international law it is beyond condemnation," Erdogan said.

"I am worried that in a situation like this, any scenario can play out in the future."

He said Israel was using claims about weapons being moved into Lebanon to justify its action as "an excuse."

Wednesday's air strike targeted surface-to-air missiles and an adjacent military complex believed to house chemical agents, according to a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Damascus has threatened to retaliate, further fuelling fears of a regional spillover of the country's 22-month conflict which the UN says has already left more than 60,000 people dead.

Under Erdogan, Turkey has become a fierce critic of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad since the uprising erupted in March 2011.