WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. military conducted a successful strike into Syria on Sunday to kill a suspected al Qaeda facilitator, a U.S. official said Monday.

The American official, who would not be identified but who has access to U.S. intelligence, identified the intended target of the attack as "Abu Ghadiya," an Iraqi whose family the official said has been active in smuggling money, weapons and foreign fighters across the Syrian border into Iraq.

Syrian foreign minister Waleed Mouallem disputed the explanation.

"This is lies from the United States," Mouallem said.

Earlier, Mouallem had said at a news conference in London, England, that the United States violated international law and Syrian sovereignty.

"Killing civilians in international law means terrorist aggression," he said. "We consider this criminal and terrorist aggression."

The U.S. official, who asked to remain anonymous because of the classified nature of the operation, also confirmed that U.S. helicopters and military special operations forces carried out the attack.

Further acts of aggression will not be tolerated, Mouallem said. "If they do it again, we will defend our territories," he said.

Syrian officials lashed out at Washington on Monday for a "sheer violation of international law," saying the U.S. attack killed eight people and wounded one.

Mouallem said four U.S. helicopters flew from Iraq about 8 kilometers (5 miles) into Syria and struck a farm around 5 p.m.

Two helicopters then landed near the farm while the other two provided cover from above, the minister said. Soldiers from the two helicopters on the ground fatally shot four members of one family, a guard at the farm and his wife and a man who was fishing nearby, Mouallem said.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/10/27/syria.iraq/index.html