The Syrian deputy foreign minister said Friday that Damascus is not planning a military response, a week after claiming that Israel Air Force warplanes bombed targets in its territory.

Damascus announced last Thursday that IAF jets had violated its airspace, and had been fired upon by Syrian air defenses. Israel has refused to make any comment about the incident.

But Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faysal Mekdad warned after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Friday that growing tension could spark a violent outbreak in the region, and that Syria has the "means to respond in ways that will preserve its position of power."

European diplomats who met with Syrian Vice President Walid Moallem earlier this week had told Haaretz that they had received the impression that Syria would not retaliate militarily.

The Reuters news agency reported Wednesday that U.S. officials had confirmed that an IAF air strike against Syria, but would not discuss the intended targets.

The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said North Korea may be using Syria and Iran as "safe havens" for its nuclear activity.

Syria protested Tuesday to the United Nations about the strike, but has said that no targets had been struck and that there was no damage.

According to Syria's envoy to the United Nations, Bashar al-Jaafari, the proterst complained of Israel's "aggression and violation of [Syrian] sovereignty."

Al-Jaafari said the complaint came in two letters to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the president of the Security Council. The letters said the IAF had violated the disengagement agreement reached after the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

The envoy said Wednesday that Damascus was reserving the right to determine the timing and manner of its response to the incident.

"The Syrian response has not yet come," said Bashar al-Jaafari, in an interview with BBC Arabic.

Al-Jaafari said Israel had violated Syrian air space and dropped munitions. But he denied reports that Israel had landed troops inside Syria.

"This is absolutely not true," he said, adding that the reports were an attempt to show that Israel could land troops wherever it wants.

The only countries that have expressed solidarity with Syria are Iran and North Korea. Russia issued a condemnation of sorts. 

 By Haaretz Staff and News Agencies