Damascus: Uninvited US Presence in Syria Constitutes Act of Aggression

On Tuesday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry commented on US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis' statements about the US presence in Syria, who said that US forces won't leave the Middle East country until they achieve their goals there.

"Syria once again declares that the presence of American forces or any other military presence in Syria without the consent of the Syrian government is an aggressive violation of Syria's sovereignty and a flagrant contravention of the UN's foundations," the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in response to Mattis.

Meanwhile, on Monday, James Mattis said that the presence of the United States in Syria had been approved by the United Nations as Washington was engaged in the fight against Daesh terrorists. The US-led coalition comprising 70 nations and has waged fight against Daesh targets in the Middle East. The strikes in Iraq are conducted with the support of Baghdad, but those in Syria are authorized neither by Damascus nor by the UN Security Council.

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The US administration has yet to receive the Congress' approval for conducting any military operations abroad, but this rule is constantly violated. The prolonged fight against terrorists in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya is explained by the fact that Congress allowed the Pentagon to fight Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.