A Syrian official expressed astonishment over a US move to freeze two Syrian officials' assets, terming it as "diversion of attention from Israel's recent aggression on the Israel-Lebanon border," the official al-Thawra newspaper reported Friday.

"Syria is astonished by the way the US approaches the international relations and the political content of the US announcement (of freezing assets)," the official was quoted as saying.

"Syria sees that the aim of this measure is to divert attention from the Israeli aggression on south Lebanon by escalating political and media pressure on Syria," the official said.

Syria has asked its ambassador in Washington Imad Moustapha to get clarification from the US State Department, the official said.

The US government Thursday froze assets of Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan in the United States and Rustum Ghazali, identified as chief of Syrian military intelligence for Lebanon, accusing them of leading military and security operations in Lebanon and destabilizing the region.

The US Treasury Department named the two officials as "Specially Designated Nationals" under an anti-terrorism presidential order, saying the order freezes "any assets the designees may have located in the United States and prohibits US persons from engaging in transactions with these individuals."

Tensions between Washington and Damascus have mounted over the US allegations that Damascus was hiding agents in neighboring Lebanon, undermining efforts to stabilize Iraq and supporting terrorism in the region.

Following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Syria was pressured to end its military presence in Lebanon.

Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon in late April, but Washington claimed that Syrian intelligence agents were still operating in Lebanon.

US President George W. Bush extended in May economic sanctions on Damascus for one year.

Source: Xinhua