Sources: Israel hits target in Syria border area

[Jefferson23]

LONDON (Reuters) -- Israeli forces attacked a target on the Syrian-Lebanese border overnight, a Western diplomat and a security source said on Wednesday, at a time of growing concern in Israel over the fate of Syrian chemical and conventional weapons.

The sources, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, had no further information about what might have been hit or where precisely the attack happened.

Earlier, the Lebanese army reported a heavy presence of Israeli jets over its territory throughout the night.

"There was definitely a hit in the border area," the source said.

in full: http://maannews.net/ENG/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=560587

[bunnies]

1. Will this be seen as an act of war against Iran?

I believe I just read something along those lines.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

2. Now, if the Lebanese were to defend their airspace and shoot down

an alleged Israeli fighter would the Israelis declare this an act of war and retaliate?

[Scurrilous]

3. They would declare it an act of terrorism and retaliate. n/t

[shira]

8. You guys are at least consistent. Always ill-intent by Israel...

Such a simplistic view of current events. Must be nice for you...

======================

Thing is, Israel informed Western powers who were also convinced of unconventional weapons passing through Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon. This suspicion is all over the media the past week.

Know why the West was all for this?

Because just in case Assad falls and al-Qaeda takes over, no one in their right mind wants al-Qaeda with that weaponry b/c then they're a threat to all Western interests.

======================

The world's just a bit more complicated than Israel bad 24-7-365.

That warped mentality leads to very stupid, very dangerous foreign policy decisions....

[Jefferson23]

9. From you:

That warped mentality leads to very stupid, very dangerous foreign policy decisions....


* The Israeli government certainly knows about that..absolutely, shira.

[shira]

10. You think keeping chemical weapons out of the hands of Hezbollah....

...and/or possibly al-Qaeda is stupid and dangerous?

[Jefferson23]

11. War hawking suits you, I get that..but it escapes you how ironic your posts are. n/t

[shira]

12. Firing at a convoy of Syrian trucks transferring weapons into Lebanon

...may be war hawking to you, but consider what's happening in Syria.

60,000 dead, and counting?

What do you think would happen with these weapons in the hands of al-Qaeda and Hezbollah?

You expect them to be pragmatic and never use unless "in case of emergency"?

------------

Sorry, I don't expect you to answer any questions.

Don't know why I ask.

[Jefferson23]

13. Good idea, don't ask, just carry on with your war hawking. n/t

[Jefferson23]

4. Syria confirms Israeli airstrike

The Syrian army has said that an Israeli air strike at dawn targeted a military research centre in Jamraya, near Damascus.

"Israeli fighter jets violated our airspace at dawn today and carried out a direct strike on a scientific research centre in charge of raising our level of resistance and self-defence," the army's general command said in a statement carried by state news agency SANA on Wednesday.

Media reports earlier quoted US and regional officials as saying that Israel had conducted an airstrike inside Syria near the border with Lebanon, hitting a convoy of trucks.

"The target was a truck loaded with weapons, heading from Syria to Lebanon," said one Western diplomat on Wednesday.

A source among rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said an air strike around dawn (0430 GMT) on Wednesday blasted a convoy on a mountain track about 5 kilometres south of where the main Damascus-Beirut highway crosses the border.

The regional officials said Israel had been planning in the days leading up to the airstrike to hit a shipment of weapons bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon.

They said the shipment included sophisticated, Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles, which would be strategically "game-changing" in the hands of Hezbollah.

A US official confirmed the overnight strike hitting a convoy of trucks.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/01/2013130165625330449.html

[shira]

7. Good. n/t

[Jefferson23]

5. US warns Syria not to transfer weapons to Hezbollah

Following reports of alleged Israeli attack on arms convoy heading to Lebanon, deputy national security advisor says Syria 'should not further destabilize the region;' UN says peacekeepers did not observe any planes flying over Golan Heights. Egyptian FM: Airstrike danger to Mideast security

WASHINGTON - The White House on Thursday warned Syria not to transfer weapons to Hezbollah, as tensions mounted following reported Israeli raids on a military research center and a weapons convoy.

"Syria should not further destabilize the region by transferring weaponry to Hezbollah," said Ben Rhodes, a US deputy national security advisor.



The New York Times reported Thursday that Israel informed the US about the alleged attack on a convoy that was transporting SA-17 antiaircraft weapons to Hezbollah. Should these weapons reach the Shiite terror group, they could cut into Israel's ability to fly reconnaissance flights over Lebanon.



Israeli and American officials told The Times that the vehicles hit early Wednesday near the Syrian-Lebanese border were also carrying electronic equipment capable of disabling the GPS systems of drones.


Footage allegedly showing Israeli jets over Syria



Sources speaking to The Wall Street Journal reiterated the preliminary assertion that a shipment of antiaircraft missiles was bombed, even though Syria maintained that such accounts were wrong. Instead, Syria's military said, Israeli jets had attacked a military facility near Damascus.


Northern border following reports of alleged Israeli strike (Photo: Avihu Shapira)



But US officials told the WSJ the reports of two targets – the arms convoy and the military site – we're not mutually exclusive. The Hezbollah-bound trucks may have been close to a military facility, they said, cautioning their information is incomplete.



Syria said on Thursday Israel and it allies bore responsibility for the results of the Israeli air raid near Damascus and said it had the right to defend its sovereignty.



"Syria holds Israel and those who are protecting it at the Security Council responsible for the results of the attack and confirms its right to defend its land and sovereignty," state television quoted a letter from the Foreign Ministry to the United Nations as say saying.



A number of countries, mainly from the Middle East, leveled harsh criticism at Israel following the reports of the alleged attack. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told the Beirut-based pan-Arab TV station Al Mayadeen, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, that the "recent Israeli aggression against Syria is an insulting message to all Arabs and Muslims." He said Israel would not have dared to attack Syria had the Arabs been united.



"The Israeli entity is taking advantage of the Arab schism and the situation in Syria to carry out (this) aggression," he claimed. "The Arab countries must support Syria in its struggle against Israel and convey the message that the aggression hurt their honor."



Al-Maliki warned that the "Israeli entity may attack Egypt, Iraq, Iran and other countries under the pretext of (attacking) research centers for the production of a nuclear bomb."



Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr also condemned the attack, saying "such an assault on Arab land is entirely rejected and represents a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and international law."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4339690,00.html

[Eugene]

6. Israel May Feel Need to Strike Syria Again

Source: Associated Press

Israel May Feel Need to Strike Syria Again

By JOSEF FEDERMAN AND ZEINA KARAM Associated Press
BEIRUT February 1, 2013 (AP)

An Israeli air attack staged in Syria this week may be a sign of things to come.

Israeli military officials appear to have concluded that the risks of attacking Syria are worth taking when compared to the dangers of allowing sophisticated weapons to reach Hezbollah guerrillas in neighboring Lebanon.

With Syrian President Bashar Assad's grip on power weakening, Israeli officials fear he could soon lose control over his substantial arsenal of chemical and advanced weapons, which could slip into the hands of Hezbollah or other hostile groups. These concerns, combined with Hezbollah's own domestic problems, mean further military action could be likely.

Tzachi Hanegbi, an incoming lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party and a former chairman of parliament's influential foreign affairs and defense committee, signaled Thursday that Israel could be compelled to act on its own. While Israel's preference is for Western powers to gain control over Syria's arms stockpile, he said there are no signs of that happening.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/israel-feel-strike-syria-18369378

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

16. For the sake of argument.

Let's say that Israel attacks Syria, you can suggest again but I'm not sure they have admitted the first run, and one of their planes gets shot down.

What happens to the pilot if captured alive? Does Israel demand he be turned over, or does s/he go on trial?

[Jefferson23]

14. Syria Says It Has Right to Counterattack Israel

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Tensions over the Israeli airstrike on Syrian territory appeared to increase on Thursday as Syria delivered a letter to the United Nations declaring its right to self-defense and Israel’s action was condemned not only by longstanding enemies, including Iran and Hezbollah, but also by Russia.

Israeli officials remained silent about their airstrike in Syrian territory on Wednesday, a tactic that experts said was part of a longstanding strategy to give targeted countries face-saving opportunities to avoid worsening a conflict. But Syria’s own confirmation of the attack may have undercut that effort.

“From the moment they chose to say Israel did something, it means someone has to do something after that,” said Giora Eiland, a former national security adviser in Israel and a longtime military leader. But other analysts said that Syria’s overtaxed military was unlikely to retaliate and risk an Israeli onslaught that could tip the balance in its fight against the 22-month Syrian uprising. They also said Syria’s ally Hezbollah was loath to provoke conflict with Israel as it sought to maintain domestic calm in neighboring Lebanon.

Syria’s ambassador to Lebanon declared that Syria had “the option and the capacity to surprise in retaliation.” The Iranian deputy foreign minister warned that the attack would have “grave consequences for Tel Aviv,” while the Russian Foreign Ministry said the strike “blatantly violates the United Nations Charter and is unacceptable and unjustified, whatever its motives.” Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack — as did some Syrian rebels, seeking to deny President Bashar al-Assad of Syria a chance to rally support as a victim of Israel.

Many questions swirled about the target, motivations and repercussions of the Israeli attack, which Arab and Israeli analysts said demonstrated the rapid changes in the region’s strategic picture as Mr. Assad’s government weakens — including the possibility that Hezbollah, Syria or both were moving arms to Lebanon, believing they would be more secure there than with Syria’s beleaguered military, which faces intense attacks by rebels on major weapons installations.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/01/world/middleeast/syrias-confirmation-of-airstrike-may-undercut-israels-strategy-of-silence.html?_r=0

[Jefferson23]

15. With airstrike, Israel steps into Syria conflict

By Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times

January 31, 2013, 5:39 p.m.

JERUSALEM — With the attack in Syria, Israel took its first overt military step into the "Arab Spring" unrest that has destabilized its neighbors and left Israelis feeling more vulnerable than they have in decades.

Israel's goal was apparently to deny sophisticated weapons to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, and may not have been intended to stir the pot in Syria. But whether by intent or circumstance, Israel has inserted itself into a civil war that thus far had very little to do with it — and which other Western nations, including the U.S., have kept at arm's length out of concern that military engagement could only make things worse.

"Until now, Israel avoided becoming involved in this quagmire in Syria," said Moshe Maoz, a former government security advisor and a Syria expert at Hebrew University. "Now this may be the first sign that Israel has decided to escalate actions to cause [President Bashar] Assad's downfall."

Other analysts disagreed that Israel was intending to undermine Assad, especially since any successor to the Syrian leader could prove to be even more hostile. Still, the Syria strike may signal a new willingness by Israel to intervene in the region's problems.

Israel has not confirmed or denied the reported attack, which took place early Wednesday. News accounts based on anonymous sources from the United States and elsewhere suggested that Israeli fighters struck a military convoy with weapons destined for Hezbollah, which is closely allied with Damascus. The arms were said to include Russian SA-17 antiaircraft missiles, which could significantly boost Hezbollah's defensive capabilities.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-israel-syria-airstrike-20130201,0,6003758.story

[Jefferson23]

17. Israel targeted multiple targets in recent attack on Syria, U.S. intelligence official tells Time

The American official says the White House gave Israel a 'green light' to carry out more such attacks in the future.
By Haaretz | Feb.02, 2013 | 2:45 AM

Israeli jets attacked several targets in Syria Tuesday night in addition to the Scientific Studies and Research Center in Jamarya, outside Damascus, Time Magazine reported Friday.

In the hours and days after the airstrike allegedly carried out by the Israeli Air Force conflicting reports surfaced regarding the nature of the strike. Syria accused Israel of attacking the research center in Jamarya but denied that an attack on a convoy transporting SA-17 ground-to-air missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon had taken place as was reported elsewhere.

"At least one to two additional targets were hit the same night," a Western intelligence official indicated to Time, adding that Israel received a “green light” from the United States to carry out further attacks in the future.

According to the report in Time among the buildings destroyed in the attack on the Jamarya research center were "warehouses stocked with equipment necessary for the deployment of chemical and biological weapons."

The U.S. was "poised to carry out similar airstrikes around Aleppo if rebels threaten to take sites associated with weapons of mass destruction in that region," an American intelligence official told Time.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-targeted-multiple-targets-in-recent-attack-on-syria-u-s-intelligence-official-tells-time-1.500910