A US military raid inside Syria was an act of "criminal and terrorist aggression", Syria's foreign minister said today

Speaking at a news conference in London, Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem warned of retaliation if Syria's borders were violated again.

He said Syria "would defend our territories" if there were a repeat of the weekend raid.

The US military said it was targeting the network of al-Qaida-linked foreign fighters moving through Syria to help fight in Iraq. Syria said troops in four helicopters attacked a building and killed eight people, including four children.

"They know full well that we stand against al-Qa'ida," Mr al-Moallem said. "They know full well we are trying to tighten our border with Iraq."