Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad has slammed an Israeli missile attack, which targeted the town of Masyaf in the central province of Hama, saying Damascus reserves the right to give a proper and lawful response to the aggression.

In a Sunday message of protest to the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, the Syrian foreign minister added that his country would respond to the recent Israeli aggression by appropriate means recognized by international law and the United Nations Charter, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported.

He warned that continued Israeli attacks against Syria have reached a “systematic” level, stressing the need for swift action by the General Secretariat and the Security Council in order to protect and preserve the Agreement on Disengagement signed between Israel and Syria in 1974 under the UN auspices.

The top Syrian diplomat emphasized that his country’s position is based on the rejection of aggression and actions that endanger peace and security in the Middle East.

Syria has always warned about the consequences of the continuous Israeli aggression on international peace and security and believes that they constitute a violation of the principles of international law, Mikdad said.

He added that the world’s failure to condemn the Israeli repeated attacks encourages the regime to persist, continue and expand its aggression against the Syrian territory and tests the credibility of the UN and the effectiveness of its competent bodies and agencies.

Syrian media outlets reported on Saturday that the Syrian air defenses have repelled the Israeli missile attack.