Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s foreign minister, on Tuesday abruptly cancelled a planned visit to Syria after President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian leader, delivered a hard-hitting speech that ridiculed Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon and warned against disarming Hizbollah.

Mr Steinmeier, who had already boarded his aircraft in Jordan, en route for Syria, when he cancelled his trip, criticised the speech as “going in completely the wrong direction” on the need for regional peace and containing no constructive references to the United Nations ceasefire resolution.