"The Syrian people and its army who have made important achievements by fighting terrorist and Takfiri groups are capable of confronting Israel's ventures that represent one of the many faces of terrorism targeting Syria today,” Syria state TV quoted Assad as saying during a Tuesday meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Damascus.

"The Israeli aggression on Syria reveals the extent of Israel and other regional and Western states' involvement in ongoing events in Syria," Assad said, referring to Israel’s recent assaults on his country that drew global condemnation.

Syria said on Sunday that Israel attacked the Jamraya Research Center, located northwest of Damascus. The center had been targeted by another Israeli airstrike back in January.

The aggression came shortly after Tel Aviv confirmed on Friday that its warplanes had hit a target in Syria.

Damascus says Israel used "a new type of weapon" during the airstrike.

“When the explosion happened, it felt like an earthquake. Then a giant golden mushroom of fire appeared. This tells us that Israel used depleted uranium shells,” said a Syrian official on condition of anonymity.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Sunday called the attacks as “a declaration of war.”

Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi told reporters in Damascus on Sunday that Syria had the right and the duty to defend its people by all available means and it would not give in to Israeli acts of aggression.

The unrest in Syria began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.