Washington will not be able to let Syrian President Bashar Assad's use of chemical weapons against civilians go unpunished and the West is sure to retaliate against the rogue regime, International, Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said Sunday.

Speaking to Army Radio, Steinitz said he believed that should the U.S. mount an attack on Syria, it would brief Israel on the matter beforehand. The minister further said that despite Syria's recent threats, Assad was unlikely to rush to launch an attack on Israel in retaliation.

Syria warned Saturday that any Western-led attack on its regime would "set the Middle East ablaze."

"I'm not so sure that any American strike on Syria will lead to a Syrian attack on Israel. I believe that the chances of that are actually slim," Steinitz said. "Regardless, we have to be ready in terms of both our defensive options and our offensive ones."

[link to www.israelhayom.com]