Syrian minister: Morsi should close Israeli embassy

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi should have closed down the Israeli embassy in Egypt and not the Syrian one, a Syrian minister said on Sunday.

Omran Zoubi, Syria’s Information Minister, was responding to Morsi’s announcement from Saturday that Egypt was cutting diplomatic ties with Damascus and has ordered Syria's embassy in Cairo to be closed.

Morsi also urged world powers to enforce a no-fly zone over Syria.

"We would have expected Morsi to announce he is closing the Israeli embassy in Egypt, but these are the ways of a leader who refuses to accept such positions," Zoubi said on Sunday, adding that “the heretic project taking place in Egypt is part of the Zionist project.

A Syrian official source quoted by the Xinhua news agency slammed Morsi’s decision as irresponsible, adding that his calls for foreign intervention and imposing a no fly zone on Syria constitute an infringement upon the region's sovereignty and serve only the interests of Israel and the United States.

"We condemn Morsi's irresponsible stance that mirrors his attempt to implement the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood," the Syrian source said, scoffing that Morsi should have saved his enthusiasm to the time when he boycotts Israel that is still killing Palestinians.