Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
Syrian President Bashar al-AssadAFP file

As US President Obama continues to mull his options over a potential military intervention in Syria, Syrian state media is upping the ante, publicizing a list of "targets" that the Syrian military could target with "long-range missiles" in the event of a US-led attack.

Aerial photos of the purported targets were released by state media, including strategic military positions in Israel, Turkey and Cyprus, such as airports and chemical weapons factories.

Syrian officials have repeatedly threatened to target Israel in the event of a western strike.

Specific targets labeled as "legitimate" for Syrian missile strikes included Israel's Dimona nuclear plant, petrochemical production plants in Haifa, Hazor military airbase, the Palmachim, Zala'im and Tzrifin  military bases, Kalandia airport, and military and intelligence facilities in Turkey and Cyprus.

Turkey, once an emerging ally of the Assad regime and its Iranian backers, realigned itself to support the rebel movement following the outbreak of civil war in Syria. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist AKP party is closely aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood, which wields considerable influence among many Free Syrian Army battalions. His government has been providing support and refuge to an array of Islamist rebel groups.

Cyprus is also considered central to any western attempts to intervene in Syria, due to the presence of numerous military bases there.