Miqdad said in an interview on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the Israeli regime were supporting militants fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the official SANA news agency reported.
The Syrian deputy minister noted that the international community realized that “it has to trust the Syrian state, not terrorists.’’
He added that the Israeli regime “blatantly bombarded sites in Damascus countryside, Quneitra, and other areas, and terrorist groups fighting the Syrian state were found to be using Israeli weapons.”
The foreign-backed militants in Syria are “criminals and smugglers, who can be bought by millions of dollars streamlined by Saudi Arabia,” Miqdad stated.
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Over 150,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants.
According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.
Defense consultancy IHS Jane's estimates that some 10,000 militants are fighting for groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda such as al-Nusra Front, and the rest fight for different militant groups.
NTJ/NJF