TENS of thousands of Syrians turned out yesterday for a huge government-orchestrated protest against a deadly US raid near the Iraqi border.

The top al-Qaida terrorist killed in the US raid on Syria was about to stage an attack in Iraq, defence sources said today.

The Irish Anti-War Movement has condemned the US attack in Syria in which eight people died.

American forces killed the head of a Syrian network that funnelled fighters, weapons and cash into Iraq during the cross-border helicopter raid, according to a US anti-terror chief.