Damascus - Syria denied Friday US claims regarding the existence of nuclear activities in the country, media reports said.

The White House said Thursday that North Korea assisted Syria in the construction of the nuclear reactor destroyed by the Israeli military in September.

"We are convinced, based on a variety of information, that North Korea assisted Syria's covert nuclear activities," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a statement.

A Syrian source told the official SANA news agency Friday that Damascus rejected the US allegations regarding the country's nuclear activities.

The source charged that the US was attempting to launch a campaign against Syria in order to justify Israeli air strikes on the country in September.

After Israeli warplanes bombed the suspected reactor site on September 6, the Syrians quickly razed the facility, according to the US intelligence presented Thursday.

Syria Friday called on the US to stop creating a crisis in the Middle East, adding that it hoped the international community would react carefully towards the claims. (dpa)