Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the chances of a regional war were "increasing," in comments published by several official media outlets Sunday, dpa reported.
"The real peace spectrum in the region is moving away and the prospects of war and confrontation are increasing," al-Assad said on the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the country's military.
"Syria reiterates its willingness (for a) just peace," he said, adding that the "first factor of peace is preserving dignity, sovereignty and not abandoning any bit of soil or drop of water."
Al-Assad also said Damascus would not drop its claim over the Golan Heights, a swath of land which was occupied by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Al-Assad's comments were billed as a speech to the military and were published by, among others, the magazine The People's Army.
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