Tel Aviv - In his first public statement on Syria since Damascus said Israel violated its airspace, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the Jewish state wants peace with its neighbour. "I have much respect for the Syrian leader and for Syrian policies," Olmert said, referring to President Bashar al-Assad, the Ynet website reported.
He said he would be willing to make peace with Syria "without preconditions" and without ultimatums, if the conditions were right, "like I have said in the past."
Olmert was speaking to Russian language journalists.
While it remains unclear what occurred at the beginning of the month, numerous reports and speculations have been published, some saying Israel conducted an airstrike against a target in northern Syria.
Israel officials have kept unusually quiet regarding the incident, refusing to comment on the reports.
