Bashar al-Assad warns US over military strikes: Expect everything, including chemical weapons attacks

Bashar al-Assad has threatened the US with military repercussions if it goes ahead with punitive strikes in response to last month"s suspected chemical weapons attack.

In a rare interview with an American broadcaster, the Syrian president waed more chemical attacks by rebels could take place as a result of strikes.

‘You should expect everything. Not necessarily from the govement," he told Charlie Rose of CBS in the Damascus-filmed interview.

‘It"s not only the govement… in this region. You have different parties, you have different factions; you have different ideology."

Syrian children attend a Save the Children-supported school for refugees in Tripoli, Lebanon. They are among thousands of families fleeing their country and setting up homes in overcrowded camps or unsafe buildings (Picture: Jonathan Hyams)

When asked to clarify whether he was talking of a specific military threat against the US, he replied: ‘I am not [a] fortune teller to tell you what"s going to happen."

Barack Obama is seeking backing from Congress for targetted strikes against chemical weapons facilities in Syria after the August 21 incident in which the US says almost 1,500 people died when they were exposed to sarin gas.

US secretary of state John Kerry, in Europe to drum up support for the intervention, has said the evidence Washington possesses over the attack is strong enough to stand up in a court of law.

John Kerry and his UK counterpart William Hague held talks in London today (Picture: AP)

But al-Assad, whose regime has denied carrying out any chemical weapons attacks, said attempts to justify military intervention were reminiscent of the way the George W Bush administration made the case for war in Iraq, where they relied upon evidence that ultimately proved to be forgeries.

When asked if further chemical weapons attacks could be a consequence of weste strikes, he added: ‘That depends if the rebels or the terrorists in this region or any other group have it. It could happen.

‘You are going to pay the price if you are not wise with dealing with terrorists."