Syria has said that Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem received a letter from his American counterpart John Kerry, delivered by the Iraqi Foreign Minister, informing him that the U.S. would target Islamic State positions in Syria.
The Syrian news agency SANA reported that Syria confirmed coordination between the two countries is ongoing "at the highest levels to fight terrorism in the implementation of the international resolution No. 2170 which was unanimously passed by the UN Security Council.”
However, the announcement by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad that it was given prior notification of the attacks was immediately denied by the State Department.
The diplomatic spat flared hours after the U.S. and five Middle Eastern allies carried out airstrikes on extremist fighters in the country, where a civil war has been raging for more than three years.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Tuesday no prior notification of the attacks was given to the Syrian government.
"We did not provide advance notification to the Syrians at a military level, or give any indication of our timing on specific targets. Secretary Kerry did not send a letter to the Syrian regime," Psaki said.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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