A Mediterranean Battlefield - Syria

[Magda Hassan]

Israeli launch airstrikes into Syria, possibly targeting delivery systems for chemical weapons, US officials say

NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports on the breaking news that Israel has launched airstrikes inside Syria, hitting at least one military target.

By Jim Miklaszewski and Andrea Mitchell, NBC News
Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes against targets inside Syria on Friday, U.S. officials told NBC News.
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It's believed the primary target was a shipment of weapons headed for Hezbollah in Lebanon, they said. A senior U.S. official said the airstrikes were believed to be related to delivery systems for chemical weapons.
An Israeli spokesman in Washington said that Israel would not comment specifically on the reports but said that "Israel is determined to prevent the transfer of chemical weapons or other game-changing weaponry by the Syrian regime to terrorists, especially to Hezbollah in Lebanon."
It wasn't clear whether the Israelis alerted the U.S. before the attack. White House officials referred all questions to the Israelis.

This would be the second time this year Israel conducted airstrikes inside Syria. In January, Israeli fighter jets attacked a convoy of sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles believed on their way to Hezbollah.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon publicly acknowledged the January airstrike inside Syria in a joint press conference with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in Tel Aviv on April 22. Ya'alon said any Syrian delivery of sophisticated weapons to rogue elements like Hezbollah would be a "red line" for Israel and "when they crossed this red line, we operated. We acted."
Syria is in the middle of a civil war pitting rebels against the regime of President Bashir Assad. Tens of thousands have already died, and the possible use of the nation's stockpile of chemical weapons has been of grave concern to the U.S. and other nations.
Last week, the White House said there was evidence that Syria's government may have used chemical weapons against its own people. But President Barack Obama has cautioned against rushing to action against Assad's government, saying that the U.S. required more evidence before getting involved in the civil war there.
The U.S. has long believed that Syria was stockpiling chemical weapons. Intelligence reports indicate that it has sarin and the nerve agent tabun along with traditional chemicals like mustard gas and hydrogen cyanide. A 2011 CIA report said Syria was also developing the potent nerve agent VX, which could render a city uninhabitable for days.
Syria has said that it hasn't used and will not use chemical weapons.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah's leader warned the rebels that his militia was ready to intervene on Assad's side in Syria's civil war. There have been concerns that Syrian SCUD missiles that might be capable of carrying chemical weapons could be transferred to Hezbollah.
NBC News Senior Investigative Producer Robert Windrem and White House Correspondent Kristen Welker contributed to this report.

United States believes Israel conducted airstrike in Syria, CNN reports

Israel Air Force jets targeted a shipment of weapons headed for Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to reports.

By Reuters and Haaretz

The United States believes Israel has conducted an airstrike into Syria, CNN reported on Friday, citing two unnamed U.S. officials.

CNN quoted the officials as saying Israel most likely conducted the strike "in the Thursday-Friday time frame" and that Israel's warplanes did not enter Syrian air space.

It said the officials did not believe Israel had targeted a chemical weapons facility.

According to NBC News, which said it has confirmed the report with its own sources, it is believed the primary target was a shipment of weapons headed for Hezbollah in Lebanon. A senior U.S. official told NBC the airstrike was believed to be related to delivery systems for chemical weapons.

A White House spokeswoman referred questions on the reports to the Israeli government.

The Israel Defense Forces had no comment on the officials' remarks, but a source in the Israeli defense establishment told CNN: "We will do whatever is necessary to stop the transfer of weapons from Syria to terrorist organizations. We have done it in the past and we will do it if necessary the future."

The CNN report said that during the time frame of the attack, the United States had collected information showing Israel Air Force planes overflying Lebanon.

Earlier Friday, sources in Lebanon reported that IAF jets conducted several sorties into Lebanese air space. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman called on the United Nations and the international community to press Israel to stop breaching Lebanon's sovereignty, saying that such flyovers are a " continuation of Israel's policy of aggression."

Israel has made clear in the past that it might intervene to prevent Syrian advanced weapons falling into the hands of militant groups, including Lebanon's Hezbollah, which fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006.

In January this year, Israel reportedly bombed a convoy in Syria, apparently hitting weapons destined for Hezbollah, according to diplomats, Syrian rebels and security sources in the region.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info...e34815.htm