Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he had “approved” sending aid to Syria, hit by a deadly earthquake, following a request from Damascus through “diplomatic” channels, a claim quickly rejected by the Syrian regime, AFP reported.

Israel “received a request from a diplomatic source for humanitarian aid in Syria and we approved it,” Netanyahu told Likud lawmakers.

According to him, help will be sent in the near future. His department refused to specify the “diplomatic source”.

Shortly after Netanyahu’s announcement, an official Syrian source “denied and did not address the claims of Israeli officials” regarding the aid request.

“How could Syria ask for help from an organization that has been killing Syrians and participating in them for decades and years,” the source added.

Syria does not recognize the existence of Israel, and the two countries are still at war.

About 1,000 people were killed and 2,300 injured in Syria after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck overnight, followed by a 7.5-magnitude aftershock in the morning.

The earthquake also killed more than 2,56,000 people in southeastern Turkey, and the death toll is likely to rise as many remain under rubble.

Israel has also offered help to Ankara, with a team of specialized rescuers leaving for Turkey on Monday and another humanitarian aid team arriving on Tuesday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said.