Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said an attempt had been made to "involve Hungary in a hot conflict" by concocting and spreading a story that would put Hungary in the cross hairs.
The prime minister told public radio that the "fake news" regarding Syrian President Assad's appearance in Budapest had been "the most important event of the week" and the most "painful".
PM Orbán noted that during the first phase of the Syrian civil war around 2015, a massive migration and terror wave "swept through Europe" and hundreds of people had died in Europe.
"So what's going on in Syria and its impact on Europe is not ... not a joke or fake news that can be spread; this could get bloody," he said.
The prime minister said "someone wants to involve Hungary in a hot conflict ... and make Hungary a target." He added that someone was hunting Assad and whoever claimed that Assad was in Hungary had wanted to make the country a "hunting ground".
"Who's behind this? Who came up with this? For what purpose? Who from Hungary were involved? Through whom was this hoax spread? What did they want to achieve?" he asked.