Syria lashed out at France on Sunday for backing the rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, saying Paris' growing support for the opposition does nothing but undermine the mission of the new UN envoy tasked with brokering a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

France, Syria's one-time colonial ruler, has been one of the most outspoken Western critics of the Assad rule, and announced earlier this month that it has begun sending direct aid and money to five rebel-held Syrian cities as part of its intensified efforts to weaken Assad.

It was the first such move by a Western power amid mounting calls for the international community to do more to prevent bloodshed.