BEIRUT (AP) — Syria has denied it is in a state of civil war, saying the country is facing "an armed conflict to uproot terrorism."
Wednesday's regime statement comes a day after the U.N.'s peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said the Syrian conflict had escalated into civil war.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry says his statements lacked objectivity and were inaccurate and far from reality.
The ministry statement says authorities in Syria are confronting armed groups engaged in "killings, kidnappings and other terrorist acts."
Syrian authorities often refer to rebels fighting the regime in Syria as terrorists.