Syria: 'Graveyard of invaders' beckons if western military strikes begin

Syria will become a ‘graveyard of invaders" if weste powers launch military strikes in response to alleged chemical weapon attacks.

The waing from Syrian prime minister Wael Nader al-Halqi came as the UK"s National Security Council unanimously agreed upon how the country should respond to last Wednesday"s nerve gas attack, which killed hundreds.

The unspecified response will now be debated by ministers tomorrow before being put to a vote in the Commons.

Defence and intelligence chiefs held talks at Downing Street as the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council met in New York to discuss a draft resolution tabled by David Cameron.

The prime minister has previously said the world cannot ‘stand idly by" in the face of overwhelming evidence forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons in and around the suburbs of Damascus.

‘Ministers agreed that the Assad was responsible for this attack and that the world shouldn"t stand idly by and that any response should be legal, proportionate and specifically to protect civilians by deterring further chemical weapons use," a No 10 spokesperson said.

Syria has denied responsibility for last week"s attack, blaming the UK, the US and France for helping ‘terrorists" deploy the chemical weapons.

‘The terrorist groups are the ones who used them with American, British and French encouragement," said the country"s deputy foreign minister Faisal al-Miqdad.

UN chemical weapons inspectors are continuing their investigations (Picture: Reuters)

More than 100,000 people have died and 2million refugees have been created by the Syrian civil war, which began in March 2011 at the height of the Arab Spring.

The govement responded to peaceful pro-democracy protests with a brutal crackdown, leading to opposition supporters taking up arms and al-Qaeda linked fighters joining the conflict.