Assad warns of retaliation as France builds case for Syria attack

PARIS (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad warned Syria would retaliate if France takes part in foreign strikes on his forces, while Paris said it had intelligence proving Assad had ordered chemical attacks and was determined to punish him.

"If the policies of the French state are hostile to the Syrian people, the state will be their enemy," Assad said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro. "There will be repercussions, negative ones obviously, on French interests."