(Adds comments from Syrian official)
BEIRUT, Sept 1 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's decision to seek congressional approval before going ahead with a military strike on Syria is the start of a U.S. "retreat", Syrian state media said on Sunday.
"Obama announced yesterday, directly or through implication, the beginning of the historic American retreat," said the comments, which were carried in a front-page editorial in Syria's official al-Thawra newspaper.
The U.S. president said on Saturday he would seek congressional consent before taking military action against Damascus for its apparent use of chemical weapons, a move likely to delay an attack for at least 10 days.
"A decision to wage war on Syria is a criminal decision and an incorrect decision. We are confident that we will be victorious," Syria's deputy foreign minister Faisal Mekdad told reporters outside a hotel in Damascus. (Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Andrew Roche)
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