Many ordinary Syrians have voiced their anger over Israel's air strike near Damascus, with some calling for reprisals and others enraged by US reaction. The raid, Israel's deepest into Syria since the 1973 Middle East war, was a violent shock. One taxi driver, Mahir Awad, echoed others around him who hoped for a military response on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the war. Awad said: "I couldn't believe my ears when I heard. I wish I was there with a shotgun in my hand." A university student, Jamal, said he hoped the government would send its own air force "to show them what Syrians can do". ** Bush backs Israeli 'self-defence'*** US President George Bush has insisted that Israel has the right to defend itself, in his first public comments since an Israeli air strike against a target inside Syria. Bush also said he had urged Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to try to avoid further escalating tensions in the Middle East. Israel says Sunday's air strike targeted a training camp run by Islamic Jihad, the group it accuses of carrying out a bomb attacks in the coastal town of Haifa that killed 19 people the day before. Syria insists Islamic Jihad has no camps in the country, and has tabled a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council condemning the Israeli action as military aggression. **PHOTO CAPTION*** A destroyed building is seen Monday, Oct. 6, 2003, after it was struck by Israeli warplanes that attacked a Palestinian refugee camp in Ein Saheb, 22 Kilometers northwest of Damascus, Syria, on Sunday Oct. 5. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)