Bashar al-Assad dares foes to take him on The weapons system is geared to counter attacks by Israeli jets, such as those which have attacked sites in Syria suspected of supplying heavy arms to Hizbollah, Israel's foe in Lebanon. Moshe Yaalon, Israel's defence minister, said he did not think the weapons systems had been sent, but he added: "If God forbid they do reach Syria, we will know what to do." Asked whether Syria would respond to such strikes, Mr Assad said: "We have told countries that we will respond to any strike with a similar strike," saying the manner of the response "depends on the circumstance and timing" of the attack. Russian S300 air-defence missiles (AFP) The S-300, seen as a game changer in any potential conflict with Mr Assad's potential enemies, would be a major obstacle to a no-fly zone and shows Russia's determination to defend Mr Assad at all costs. All sides are increasing their rhetoric in advance of a peace conference in Geneva next month. Mr Assad has indicated he will be represented, a position he has not retracted since the EU agreed to lift the embargo on the rebels on Monday, but there remain sticking points. Russia insists Iran attends, something opposed by European states. The opposition Syrian National Coalition has said it will not attend as long as "Iran and Hizbollah kept up their invasion" - a reference to the battle for Qusayr in the west of the country, in which the Lebanese Shia militia have taken the lead role. Diplomats are unlikely to take that as a final answer, however. The Coalition is recognised by the West as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people, but diplomats are increasingly frustrated by its failure to present a united or decisive face in the lead-up to talks with Mr Assad. An embarrassing video recording, leaked online from the Coalition's conference this week, showed Eric Chevallier, the French ambassador, berating a Coalition member in three different languages for its failure to keep its word on expanding its membership to include a broader cross-section of the opposition. Its failures have been leapt on by Russia. "We are under the impression that the National Coalition and its regional sponsors are doing everything so as not to allow the start of the political process and to achieve military intervention in Syria through any means possible," Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister said. "These demands are impossible to fulfil," he said. The only thing that unites them is a demand of Bashar al-Assad's immediate departure. In his interview, Mr Assad also claimed that the balance of the war was tipping in his favour. The Syrian army has scored major victories against armed rebels on the ground and the balance of power is now with the Syrian army.