Syria Denies Request to Israel Amid Row Over Foreign Aid Delivery

Syria on Tuesday denied asking for Israel’s help in coping with the aftermath of the massive earthquake that struck the country and Turkey on Monday morning, killing at least 5,100 people and destroying thousands of buildings.

The country’s leadership is also reportedly holding up aid deliveries to the stricken areas, demanding that all foreign assistance be coordinated through Damascus even though the quake hit in a rebel-controlled location.

Damascus “ridiculed and denied” claims that it had asked for assistance from Israel, AFP quoted a Syrian official as saying, contradicting statements from Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

“How can Syria ask for help from an entity that has killed… Syrians for decades?” the official said.

Netanyahu told a meeting of Knesset members from his Likud party on Monday that Israel had received a request “from a diplomatic source for humanitarian aid to Syria.” He said that the aid would dispatched soon but did not elaborate on the source of the request.

Israel has already sent a search and rescue delegation to Turkey, with the 150-strong team of experts from the military arriving early Tuesday morning,

Meanwhile, the Guardian reported Tuesday that Syrian ambassador to the United Nations, Bassam Sabbagh, said Damascus should have sole control over the delivery of aid, including those areas outside of government rule. The row threatens to delay aid deliveries to the affected areas, the paper said. The country has been ravaged by civil war since 2011.