Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said Israel's raid on the Gaza aid flotilla has increased the chances of war in the Middle East. In an interview with the BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen, he said Syria was working to prevent a regional war. But he added that there was no chance of a peace deal with the current Israeli administration, which he called a "pyromaniac government". Mr Assad also rejected claims he was arming Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Nine Turkish activists died during last month's raid on the Free Gaza ships attempting to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. Asked if the Israeli raid had increased the chance of war in the Middle East, Mr Assad said: "Definitely, definitely." "When you don't have peace, you have to expect war every day, and this is very dangerous," he said. Israel has set up an inquiry into the raid after rejecting a United Nations proposal for an international investigation, but Turkey has said that it has no confidence in the impartiality of the investigation. "[The raid has] destroyed any chance for peace in the near future," Mr Assad said. "Mainly because it proved that this government is another pyromaniac government, and you cannot achieve peace with such [a] government." The current Israeli administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "different from any previous Israeli government", Mr Assad said. He said there had been indications before the raid on the Gaza flotilla about "their intentions towards peace <b>...</b>
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