Syria's president has warned Israel it will respond in kind to any future air attacks. Israel has already carried out three this year.
In an interview with a Lebanese television station, Bashar al-Assad also said Syria's people would have to vote on any proposed peace deal.
Recent successes on the battlefield, direct military support from Lebanese Shi'ite movement Hezbollah, renewed divisions within the Opposition and new weaponry from Russia mean this was not quite the embattled president that Western powers were hoping to force to the negotiating table, the BBC reports.
Mr Assad sounded confident, saying that Russia was still committed to sending him advanced anti-aircraft missiles. However, he stopped short of actually saying that they had been delivered.
The president warned Israel against any further air attacks against Syria. And while open to attending a peace conference in Geneva later this year, he stressed that any peace deal would have to be put to a referendum.
Mr Assad said the Syrian army has scored major victories against rebels and now holds the balance of power in the conflict. He condemned backing for the rebels from Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, claiming there are now 100,000 foreign fighters on Syrian soil.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem made similar comments on Wednesday, telling Lebanese media: "Our armed forces have regained the momentum."
Opposition group to boycott talks
Syria's main opposition group outside the country says it will not take part in peace talks while massacres continue.
Russian, US and United Nations officials are to meet next week to discuss ways of bringing the warring sides in Syria together for the peace conference in Switzerland.
But the Syrian National Coalition says thought of diplomatic solutions is absurd in the face of the spiralling conflict.
The coalition's interim head, George Sabra, said there can be no talks while Syrian government forces backed by the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah are carrying out heinous crimes.
