Looks like Israel has hit Syrians... a convoy full of weapons being transported to Hezbollah.
It's WHACK EM TIME!
Printable View
Looks like Israel has hit Syrians... a convoy full of weapons being transported to Hezbollah.
It's WHACK EM TIME!
Getting news now.
News source out of Syria... paragon of virtues there... not.
Syria says Israel attacked military research center
BEIRUT | Wed Jan 30, 2013 2:51pm EST
(Reuters) - Israeli warplanes attacked a military research center in Damascus province at dawn on Wednesday, Syria's military command said, denying reports that the planes had struck a convoy carrying weapons from Syria to Lebanon.
Two people were killed and five wounded in the attack on the site in Jamraya, which it described as one of a number of "scientific research centers aimed at raising the level of resistance and self-defense".
The building was destroyed, the military command said in a statement carried by state media.
It said the planes crossed into Syria below the radar level, just north of Mount Hermon, and returned the same way.
Sources told Reuters earlier that Israeli jets had bombed a convoy on Syria's border with Lebanon on Wednesday, apparently targeting weapons destined for Hezbollah.
US Officials are JUST commenting on this (they refused to a bit ago).
Syria convoy hit by Israeli forces
Updated: 07:07, Thursday January 31, 2013
http://www.skynews.com.au/elements/i...ews_840973.jpg
Israeli forces have carried out an air strike on a weapons convoy from Syria near the Lebanese border, security sources have told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The attack came after Israel expressed concerns that Damascus's stockpile of chemical weapons could fall into the hands of Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah group, an ally of the Syrian regime, or other militant groups.
Israeli officials have said such a transfer would be a declaration of war and likely spark an Israeli attack.
Sources differed on whether the strike took place on Syrian or Lebanese territory.
'The Israeli air force blew up a convoy that had just crossed the border from Syria into Lebanon,' one source said, adding that the convoy was believed to be carrying weapons, without specifying the type.
An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment on the report.
A second security source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, also confirmed to AFP that Israeli warplanes had hit a convoy allegedly carrying weapons to Lebanon but said the incident occurred just inside Syria.
'It was an armed convoy travelling towards Lebanon but it was hit on the Syrian side of the border at around 2330 GMT (1030 AEST),' the source said.
Both sources reported a high level of 'unusual' Israeli activity over Lebanese air space, which began on Tuesday evening and continued overnight.
The Lebanese army confirmed that Israeli warplanes entered Lebanese airspace up to 16 times between 9:30am (0730 GMT) Tuesday and 2:00am Wednesday.
'Every day there are Israeli overflights, but on Tuesday they were much more intense than usual,' a Lebanese security source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The incident occurred just days after Israel moved two batteries of its vaunted Iron Dome missile defence system to the north and at a time of rising fears that the conflict in Syria could see weapons leaking into Lebanon.
A former head of intelligence at Israel's Mossad spy service, Amnon Sofrin, said on Wednesday that the Jewish state 'should make any effort to prevent any weapons systems of that kind (chemical) going out to terror organisations.'
Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem before reports of the attack emerged, Sofrin said Israel was unlikely to carry out air strikes on chemical weapons stocks because of the environmental risks.
'When you go and attack a... chemical weapons depot, you're going to do unwarranted damage, because every part will leak out and can cause damage to many residents,' he said.
'But if you know of a convoy leading these kind of (chemical) weapon systems from Syria to Lebanon, you can send a unit to the proper place and try to halt it' on the ground, he added.
On Monday, Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had 'urgently dispatched' his national security adviser Yaakov Amidror to Russia to ask Moscow to use its influence in Syria to prevent the transfer of chemical weapons.
The reports are saying variously, a 'military target', a 'scientific center', a 'convoy' and a 'target near the Syrian border'.
It's usually those damned 'shit hezbollas' anyway.... lol
US declines comment on raid, hosts Israeli general
(AFP) – 51 minutes ago
WASHINGTON — The United States on Wednesday declined to comment on an Israeli air raid against a weapons convoy from Syria as senior officials hosted Israel's director of military intelligence for talks.
"I don't have any comment for you on those reports," said White House spokesman Jay Carney when asked about an air strike overnight near the Lebanese border.
"I'd refer you to the government of Israel for questions about deliberations or actions that they may or may not have taken," he said.
Security sources in the region told AFP Israeli aircraft carried out the bombing raid on a weapons convoy heading out of Syria. But it was unclear if the strike took place in Syrian or Lebanese territory.
The air strike followed statements from Israel voicing concern that Damascus's stockpile of chemical weapons could fall into the hands of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group, an ally of the Syrian regime, or other militants.
Israeli officials have said such that a transfer would be a casus belli and likely spark an Israeli attack.
News of the raid came as Major General Aviv Kochavi, director of military intelligence for Israeli forces, paid a visit to Washington for talks this week, defense officials said.
Kochavi met the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, on Tuesday and was expected to hold talks with his counterparts in military intelligence at the Defense Department, said two officials, who spoke on condition of anoymity.
Officials said Kochavi's visit had been planned long in advance.
US Officials...
"Convoy attacked carrying weapons" and US is confirming this occurred.
They aren't confirming any other strikes at this time. (So, whatever was hit by Damascus might have happened or might not)
AH HA!
Chemical weapons!
Israeli warplane 'struck target on Syria-Lebanon border' amid weapons fears
Reports of attack on 'research centre' come as Israel monitors region for possible WMD convoys leaving Syria for Lebanon
- Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem
- guardian.co.uk,
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/...anyahu-008.jpg Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is believed to be in talks over a possible response to the movement of chemical weapons. Photograph: Jim Hollander/EPA
Israeli warplanes have attacked a target close to the Syrian-Lebanese border following several days of heightened warnings from government officials over Syria's stockpiles of weapons.
Syrian state television said that military command had confirmed a "scientific research centre" north-west of Damascus was struck at dawn on Wednesday, causing damage. Two people were killed and five wounded in the attack on the site, which was engaged in "raising the level of resistance and self-defence".
Earlier, diplomatic and security sources were cited in media reports as saying a convoy of trucks had been struck close to the Syrian-Lebanese border. The Israeli Defence Forces said it had no comment.
Lebanese media claimed that a dozen IDF fighter planes had flown sorties over Lebanon's airspace from Tuesday afternoon until Wednesday morning.
A Lebanese army statement, quoted by local news agencies, said: "Four Israeli planes entered Lebanese airspace at 4.30pm on Tuesday. They were replaced four hours later by another group of planes, which overflew southern Lebanon until 2am, and a third mission took over, finally leaving at 7.55am on Wednesday morning." The IDF also declined to comment on these reports.
It was also reported that the IDF's intelligence chief, Major-General Aiv Kochavi, arrived in Washington on Tuesday for private talks with the US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Martin Dempsey, at the Pentagon.
Israel has publicly warned that it would take military action to prevent the Syrian regime's chemical weapons falling into the hands of Hezbollah in Lebanon or "global jihadists" fighting inside Syria. Israeli military intelligence is said to be monitoring the area round the clock via satellite for possible convoys carrying weapons.
Hezbollah is also believed to have extensive stockpiles of conventional weapons in warehouses inside Syria. Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nazrallah, "wants to remove everything from Syrian soil to Lebanon", said Amnon Sofrin, a former head of intelligence in the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. Israel, he added, was "looking very carefully at convoys heading from Syria to Lebanon".
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, was reported earlier this week to be conducting intense security consultations on the possible response to the movement of weapons.
The deputy prime minister, Silvan Shalom, told Army Radio on Sunday: "If there is a need, we will take action to prevent chemical weapons from being transferred to Islamic terror organisations. We are obligated to keep our eye on it at all times, in the event chemical weapons fall into Hezbollah's hands."
Israel's concern over the civil war in Syria has mounted over recent months as Bashar al-Assad's regime has come closer to collapse and fighting has bordered on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Although Israel has been technically at war with Syria since 1967, the Golan Heights has been mostly quiet since Israel occupied it almost 46 years ago.
But Israel fears that the implosion of the Assad regime could herald an Islamist Syria, which could seek to reignite hostilities with its neighbour.
Alex Fishman, defence analyst for the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, wrote earlier this week: "In the light of Assad's increasingly unsteady status, Hezbollah figures have understood that [its stockpiles of conventional] weapons cannot remain there. And as soon as these weapons reach Lebanon, they are swallowed up in secret underground stockpiles. Looking for them will be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"If chemical weapons are brought into Lebanon, Israel will probably not hesitate – and will attack."
According to Sofrin, the Israeli military would be more inclined to deploy "specialist skilled units" on the ground to secure depots of chemical weapons, rather than use air strikes, which risked dispersing chemicals over a wide area. But any such operation would be complicated and risky, he added.
Israel's primary concern was to prevent Hezbollah acquiring chemical warheads that it could mount on existing missiles, he said.
Netanyahu told Sunday's cabinet meeting Syria was "increasingly coming apart". He added: "The reality is developing apace. In the east, north and south, everything is in ferment, and we must be prepared: strong and determined in the face of all possible developments."
In the past few months, errant shells from fighting in Syria have landed in the Golan Heights, prompting Israel to lodge formal complaints with the United Nations. In November, Israeli forces fired tank shells at Syrian artillery units, causing casualties, over two consecutive days after a mortar shell landed close to an Israeli army post.
Netanyahu recently announced plans to build a steel security fence along the armistice line in the Golan Heights, similar to the one constructed on the Israel-Egypt border.
Syria claims Israeli warplanes strike Damascus
Published: 8:28AM Thursday January 31, 2013 Source: Reuters
- http://images.tvnz.co.nz/tvnz_site_i...m_jordan_1.jpg A Syrian refugee camp in Jordan. - Source: BBC
- Related
Israeli warplanes attacked a military research centre in Damascus province at dawn on Wednesday, Syria's military command said, denying reports that the planes had struck a convoy carrying weapons from Syria to Lebanon.
Two people were killed and five wounded in the attack on the site in Jamraya, which it described as one of a number of "scientific research centres aimed at raising the level of resistance and self-defence".
The building was destroyed, the military command said in a statement carried by state media.
It said the planes crossed into Syria below the radar level, just north of Mount Hermon, and returned the same way.
Sources told Reuters earlier that Israeli jets bombed a convoy on Syria's border with Lebanon, apparently targeting weapons destined for Hezbollah. Damascus province includes much of the border with Lebanon.
"The target was a truck loaded with weapons, heading from Syria to Lebanon," said one Western diplomat, adding that the consignment may well have included anti-aircraft missiles.
The overnight attack, which several sources placed on the Syrian side of the border, followed warnings from Israel that it was ready to act to prevent the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad leading to Syria's chemical weapons and modern rockets reaching either his Hezbollah allies or his Islamist enemies.
A source among the Syrian rebels said an air strike around dawn (0430 GMT) blasted a convoy on a mountain track about 5 kilometres south of where the main Damascus-Beirut highway crosses the border. Its load probably included high-tech anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, but not chemical weapons.
"It attacked trucks carrying sophisticated weapons from the regime to Hezbollah," the source said, adding that it took place inside Syria, though the border is poorly defined in the area.
A regional security source said the target was weaponry given by Assad's military to fellow Iranian ally Hezbollah:
"This episode boils down to a warning by Israel to Syria and Hezbollah not to engage in the transfer of sensitive weapons," the source said. "Assad knows his survival depends on his military capabilities and he would not want those capabilities neutralised by Israel - so the message is this kind of transfer is simply not worth it, neither for him nor Hezbollah."
With official secrecy shrouding the event, few details were corroborated by multiple sources. All those with knowledge of the event - from several countries - spoke anonymously.
There was no comment from the Israeli or Syrian governments nor Hezbollah. Israel's ally the United States declined all comment. A Lebanese security source said its territory was not hit, though the army reported a heavy presence of Israeli jets through the night after days of unusually frequent incursions.
Such a strike would fit Israel's policy of pre-emptive covert and overt action to curb Hezbollah and does not necessarily indicate a major escalation of the war in Syria. It does, however, indicate how the erosion of the Assad family's rule after 42 years is seen by Israel as posing a threat.
Israel this week echoed concerns in the United States about Syrian chemical weapons, but its officials say a more immediate worry is that the civil war could see weapons that are capable of denting its massive superiority in airpower and tanks reaching Hezbollah; the group fought Israel in 2006 and remains a more pressing threat than its Syrian and Iranian sponsors.
Wednesday's strike could have been a rapid response to an opportunity. But a stream of Israeli comment on Syria in recent days may have been intended to limit surprise in world capitals.
The head of the Israeli air force said only hours before the attack that his corps, which has an array of the latest jet bombers, attack helicopters and unmanned drones at its disposal, was involved in a covert "campaign between wars".
"This campaign is 24/7, 365 days a year," Major-General Amir Eshel told a conference on Tuesday. "We are taking action to reduce the immediate threats, to create better conditions in which we will be able to win the wars, when they happen."
Jets over Lebanon
In Israel, where media operate under military censorship, broadcasters immediately relayed international reports of the strike. Channel Two television quoted what it called foreign sources saying the convoy was carrying anti-aircraft missiles.
Israeli jets routinely fly over Lebanon and there have been unconfirmed reports in previous years of strikes on Hezbollah arms shipments. An attack inside Syria could be diplomatically provocative, however, since Assad's Iranian ally said on Saturday that it would view any strike as an attack on itself.
There was no immediate comment on the incident from Tehran, which Israel views as its principal enemy and with which it is engaged in a bitter confrontation over Iran's nuclear programme.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, set for a new term after an election, told his cabinet that Iran and turmoil in Arab states meant Israel must be strong: "In the east, north and south, everything is in ferment, and we must be prepared, strong and determined in the face of all possible developments."
The Israeli military confirmed this week that it had lately deployed two batteries of its Iron Dome rocket-interceptor system to around the northern city of Haifa, which came under heavy Hezbollah missile fire during a brief war in 2006.
Israel's refusal to comment on Wednesday is usual in such cases; it has, for example, never admitted a 2007 air strike on a suspected Syrian nuclear site despite U.S. confirmation of it.
By not acknowledging that raid, Israel may have ensured that Assad did not feel obliged to retaliate. For 40 years, Syria has offered little but bellicose words against Israel. A failing Assad administration, some Israelis fear, might be tempted into more action, while Syria's Islamist rebels are also hostile to Israel and could present a threat if they seize heavier weapons.
Israeli Vice Premier Silvan Shalom said on Sunday that any sign that the Syrian army's grip on its presumed chemical weapons stocks was slipping could trigger Israeli intervention.
But Israeli sources said on Tuesday that Syria's advanced conventional weapons, much of it Russian-built hardware able to destroy Israeli planes and tanks, would represent as much of a threat to Israel as chemical arms in the hands of an enemy.
Interviewed on Wednesday, Shalom would not be drawn on whether Israeli forces had been in action in the north, but he described the country as part of an international coalition seeking to stop spillover from Syria's two-year-old insurgency.
Recalling that President Barack Obama had warned Assad of US action if his forces used chemical weapons, Shalom told Israel Radio: "The world, led by President Obama, who has said this more than once, is taking all possibilities into account.
"Any development ... in a negative direction would be something that needs stopping and prevention."
Ok, so they are confirming a convoy was hit.
They won't confirm the "scientific center" near Damascus was hit though.
BUT they (Syrians) it appears were moving chemical weapons to Lebanon. SA-17 Antiaircraft missiles too. I'm betting those missiles had chemicals on them.
I'm also betting Israel said, "Ok, hit the convoy, stop them. Go to the source and flatten that too as a warning. If they shoot back, kill 'em."
Oh, yeah, I think the Israelis had strong intelligence that this convoy contained not only anti-aircraft missiles but chemical weapons as well. No doubt in my mind now.
Israel attacks Syria-Lebanon border: report
- Date
http://images.smh.com.au/2012/07/23/...thheadshot.jpg
Ruth Pollard
Middle East Correspondent
http://images.brisbanetimes.com.au/2...et-408x264.jpg Click to play video
Reports of Israel airstrike Lebanon/Syria border
Israel's military attacks a target on the Syrian-Lebanese border overnight, regional sources say.
Israeli forces have reportedly attacked a convoy on the Syria-Lebanon border, unnamed security sources say, as tension mounts inside Israel about the possible movement of chemical and other weapons from Syria into Lebanon.
The Israel Defence Force would not confirm or deny the reports. A spokeswoman said on Wednesday night: “We have no response.”
Unnamed sources who spoke to Reuters and Agence France-Presse news agencies were unable to confirm which side of the border the attack may have happened or what the convoy may have been carrying.
http://images.brisbanetimes.com.au/2...ia-620x349.jpg Syrian rebel fighters celebrate after taking over the village of Aljanodiya, northwestern Idlib province, following fighting against pro-Syrian regime forces, on January 30. Photo: Aamir Qureshi/AFP
In the lead-up to the unconfirmed attack, Israeli government and defence sources had publicly warned about the dangers of high-tech anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons falling into the hands of Hezbollah.
“We are currently dealing with the most serious of threats and we must be prepared for any potential development,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom told Israeli radio on Sunday if it appeared Syria was losing control of its weapons, Israel may take military action, which could include a pre-emptive strike, while local media carried several reports warning of increased concerns about Syria and Lebanon.
http://images.brisbanetimes.com.au/2...hu-620x349.jpg Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, centre, at a Cabinet meeting on January 27. Photo: Ariel Schalit/AP
“If chemical weapons are brought into Lebanon, Israel will probably not hesitate – and will attack,” wrote Yedioth Ahronoth's defence correspondent Alex Fishman on Monday.
“In the past, Hezbollah has stored the advanced equipment in warehouses on Syrian soil. But in the past months, in light of Assad's increasingly unsteady status, Hezbollah figures have understood that the weapons cannot remain there. And as soon as these weapons reach Lebanon, they are swallowed up in secret underground stockpiles.
Looking for them will be like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
Despite the concern, by Tuesday, the tide of opinion had turned on the prime minister, with unnamed high-ranking officials from Israel's foreign ministry accusing Mr Netanyahu of deliberately ratcheting up fears about Syria's chemical weapons for his own political gain.
The situation in Syria had not changed in the last two weeks, the unnamed officials told the Ma'ariv newspaper, saying the leaks on Syria from the cabinet meeting were designed to help Netanyahu form his coalition government.
“Netanyahu is sowing fear and terror similar to the way he did on the Iranian issue last year. It's [an act of] self-frightening,” a European diplomat – also unnamed – told Ma'ariv.
Talks between Mr Netanyahu and his potential coalition partners are ongoing following last week's close election result, which saw the right-wing bloc win 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset and the centre-left with 59 seats.
Reports from Lebanese media, quoting a statement from the Lebanese Army, indicate that Israeli Air Force jets flew into Lebanon's air space in three separate missions late on Tuesday and early Wednesday.
Israel would not comment on those reports.
These come just days after the Lebanon Army stated that Israeli jets had violated Lebanon's air space in four separate incidents on Saturday, with the Daily Star newspaper reporting the fighter jets had been seen over the Bekaa Valley, which borders Syria.
As the government of Bashar al-Assad showed further signs of weakening, concerns throughout the region and inside Israel would continue to rise, warned strategic intelligence analyst Avi Melamed.
“It is quite obvious that the tension is escalating – any way you look at Syria, it is a lethal combination of a chaotic situation, instability, a large amount of weapons and groups that are motivated by radical ideology,” Mr Melamed said.
Israel had signalled very clearly what it regards as a red line regarding Syria.
“Israel openly said the moving of not only chemical weapons but also weapons that would be considered as tipping the military balance between Israel and Hezbollah would be crossing a red line and Israel would not stand by if this happened.”
The weapons would include advanced anti-aircraft weapons, land to sea missiles and other high-tech weaponry, he said.
Any action involving Syria would automatically draw in the Iranian regime and Hezbollah, Mr Melamed said, given Iran has already indicated that an attack on Syria would be viewed as an attack on Iran.
What we know about the Israeli air strike in Syria
Posted by Olga Khazan on January 30, 2013 at 1:12 pm
After several Israeli warplanes entered Lebanese airspace on Tuesday and Wednesday, U.S. and regional sources said Wednesday that the aircraft struck a truck convoy carrying weapons on the Syrian side of the Lebanese-Syrian border, The Washington Post’s Joel Greenberg reports.
Here’s what Middle East watchers are saying about the attack so far:
It’s probably a move to keep missiles out of the hands of Hezbollah
The Associated Press reported that the target was a truck convoy carrying SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles and cited regional officials as saying that Israel had been planning for days “to hit a shipment of weapons bound for the Islamist militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.” A source in the region also told Al-Monitor’s Laura Rozen that the target was anti-aircraft missiles.
If the reports turn out to be true, Israel might have been motivated by a desire to keep the missiles away from Hezbollah, as Rozen explains:
Syria possesses sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles, including the Russian-made SA-17. Israel would consider it a “game changer” if Hezbollah acquired them, that would “change the balance of power” between Israel and Hezbollah, and interfere with Israel’s ability to overfly Lebanon and deter Hezbollah, an Israeli security expert told Al-Monitor.“And as soon as [Hezbollah's] weapons reach Lebanon, they are swallowed up in secret underground stockpiles. Looking for them will be like searching for a needle in a haystack,” defense analyst Alex Fishman wrote in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. ”If chemical weapons are brought into Lebanon, Israel will probably not hesitate – and will attack.”
Israel is extremely worried about what’s going to happen in Syria next
Last week, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted as saying that any sign that President Bashar al-Assad is losing grip on Syria’s chemical weapons could prompt Israeli military strikes. Israeli military intelligence is said to be monitoring the area via satellite for possible convoys carrying weapons, the Guardian reported.
The Assad regime is struggling to keep its power in the face of revolt. If the government falls, Israeli officials fear, the country could be taken over by Islamist radicals, which could spark new hostilities between two countries that are technically at war but have been relatively peaceful for the past half-century.
Lebanon has denied that the strike hit its territory
“No Israeli strike or aggression occurred along the border stretching from Shabaa Farms to Jabal al-Sheikh and Hermel. No strike took place on Lebanese soil,” a high-ranking security source told the Daily Star, a Lebanese newspaper.
However, Lebanese army officials did say that four Israeli warplanes violated Lebanon’s airspace at 2 a.m. Wednesday for six hours.
This is the first time Israel has attacked Syria since 2007
Israel suspects that Syria obtained SA-17s from Russia after Operation Orchard, a 2007 Israeli airstrike on Syria that destroyed an unfinished Syrian nuclear reactor, the AP reported.
In 2008, then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made it clear Israel would not accept the transfer of advanced, “balance-disrupting” weapons systems to Hezbollah and would use force if necessary, Haaretz reported.
On several occasions the messages were even more explicit: no to shipments to Hezbollah of advanced anti-aircraft missiles, long-range surface-to-surface precision missiles or shore-to-sea missiles.
At least someone is willing to do what needs done.
Oh, I am GLAD they did it Mal. I think they ought to nuke the damned nuclear facilities though. lol
Syria, Iran threaten consequences for Israeli strike
By JPOST.COM STAFF, YAAKOV LAPPIN, REUTERS
LAST UPDATED: 01/31/2013 17:14
In wake of reported IAF attack on a military research center in Syria, Syrian ambassador to Lebanon says Damascus has option to respond as Iran threatens "serious consequences" for Tel Aviv; Hezbollah, Russia condemn strike.
http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/Sh...ashx?ID=196329 Syrian army helicopters [file] Photo: REUTERS
BEIRUT - Syria's ambassador to Lebanon said on Thursday that Damascus had the option of a "surprise decision" to respond to what it said was an Israeli air strike on a research center on the outskirts of the Syrian capital on Wednesday.
Syria could take "a surprise decision to respond to the aggression of the Israeli warplanes," Ali Abdul Karim Ali was quoted as telling a Hezbollah-run news website.
- 'Israel strikes Syrian weapons en route to Hezbollah'
- 'Israel gave US advance warning of Syria strike'
"Syria is engaged in defending its sovereignty and its land," he added, without spelling out what the response might entail. Syria and Israel have fought several wars and in 2007 Israeli jets reportedly bombed a suspected Syrian nuclear site, without retaliation.
Syria also summoned the head of a United Nations mission in the Golan Heights on Thursday to protest against the Israeli air raid which Damascus said is a violation of a disengagement accord that followed the last major war between the two countries.
State media said Major General Iqbal Singha, head of the UNDOF peacekeeping force, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry where the protest was delivered.
In the wake of reported Israeli air strike on a Syrian weapons center, Iran also issued a threat to Israel on Thursday.
The Iranian regime's English language mouthpiece, Press TV, quoted a deputy foreign minister as saying that the "strike on Syria will have serious consequences for Tel Aviv." The official did not elaborate.
Last week, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader said that any attack on Syria would be seen by Tehran as an attack on itself.
The official, Ali Akbar Velayati, said the regime of Basher Assad is a central component of the "resistance front."
Meanwhile, Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah condemned on Thursday an Israeli attack which it said targeted a Syrian research center, saying it was an attempt to thwart Arab military capabilities and pledging to stand by its ally President Bashar Assad.
"Hezbollah strongly condemns this new Zionist aggression on Syria,” the group said in a statement, calling for "wide-scale condemnation from the international community," the group said in a statement.
The group "expressed its full solidarity with Syria's leadership, army and people."
Sources said on Wednesday that Israel Air Force jets bombed a convoy near Syria's border with Lebanon, apparently targeting weapons destined for Hezbollah. Syria denied the reports, saying the target had been a military research center.
http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/Sh...ashx?ID=212587
Russia said on Thursday it was very concerned about reports of an Israeli air attack deep inside Syria near Damascus and that any such action, if confirmed, would amount to unacceptable military interference in the war-ravaged country.
"If this information is confirmed, then we are dealing with unprovoked attacks on targets on the territory of a sovereign country, which blatantly violates the UN Charter and is unacceptable, no matter the motives to justify it," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Syrian state television accused Israel of bombing a military research center at Jamraya, between Damascus and the nearby border. Syrian rebels disputed that, saying their forces had attacked the site.
Russia has been trying to shield Syrian President Bashar Assad from international pressure to end the civil war against opposition forces that has ravaged the country over 22 months and killed an estimated 60,000 people. Moscow has repeatedly spoken against any foreign interference in Syria, especially military action.
Russia concerned with Israeli 'attack' in Syria
Addressing reports of IAF strike in Syria, Russia says it is 'concerned about unprovoked attacks.' Hezbollah urges international condemnation of 'aggressive, criminal' Israel
Ynet
Russia said on Thursday it was very concerned about reports of an Israeli attack in Syria and that any such action, if confirmed, would amount to unacceptable military interference in the war-ravaged country.
Published: 01.31.13, 09:34 / Israel News
The remarks were issued as Hezbollah called on the international community to condemn the alleged strike.
Related stories:
- Syria: Israel attacked military research center
- IAF chief warns against complacency on Syria
- Scores of bodies with headshots found in Syria’s Aleppo
"If this information is confirmed, then we are dealing with unprovoked attacks on targets on the territory of a sovereign country, which blatantly violates the UN Charter and is unacceptable, no matter the motives to justify it," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Sources told Reuters on Wednesday that Israeli warplanes had bombed a convoy near Syria's border with Lebanon, apparently targeting weapons destined for Hezbollah in what some called a warning to Damascus not to arm Israel's Lebanese enemy.
http://images1.ynet.co.il/PicServer3...idearticle.jpgSyrian state television accused Israel of bombing a military research center at Jamraya, between Damascus and the nearby border. Syrian rebels disputed that, saying their forces had attacked the site.
Route taken by IAF jets
Russia has been trying to shield Syrian President Bashar Assad from international pressure to end the civil war against opposition forces that has ravaged the country over 22 months and killed an estimated 60,000 people. Moscow has repeatedly spoken against any foreign interference in Syria, especially military action.
'Attack typical of Israel's criminal ways'
Meanwhile, the Hezbollah terror organization released a statement condemning the "Israeli attacks on the scientific research center in Syria." The statement said that "the attack is in line with Israel's aggressive and criminal ways and was made in accordance to a policy which attempts to prevent any Arab or Muslim force to develop its military and technological capabilities."
In its statement the Shiite terror organization claimed that "the attack exposes the background to what has been going on in Syria for years, and the criminal intention to destroy Syria and its army, and undermine its central role on the resistance front."
http://images1.ynet.co.il/PicServer3...95408258no.jpgIt also said: "The attack requires wide-scale condemnation from the international community and the Arab and Muslim states."
Area of strike, according to Syrian army statement
Nevertheless, it also claimed that "we are accustomed to the international community swallowing its tongue and remaining silent, not condemning or taking a stand when Israel is the aggressor."
Hassan Nasrallah's organization also expressed solidarity with the Syrian people, the Syrian leadership and the Syrian army.
They said, in an implied message to the rebel forces, that "some elements should be aware of the severity of the attack against Syria."
"This aggression should lead to a re-examination of their stance and to adopt political dialogue as the only basis to a solution meant to end the shedding of Syrian blood, in order to keep Syria and protect its role in the fight against the enemies."
Israel faces repercussions of air strike on Syria
Jewish state maintains its traditional silence in the face of accusations that it violated Syria's sovereign territory
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/...e-mist-010.jpg An observation point on Mount Bental in the Golan Heights Photograph: Baz Ratner/REUTERS
Israel faces international criticism and threats of retaliation after Wednesday's bombing on the Syrian-Lebanese border, with Russia and the Arab League describing it as a violation of Syria's sovereignty. Syria and Iran threatened to respond to the military intervention, which was widely ascribed to Israeli forces.
Warplanes targeted a "scientific research centre" near Damascus, according to Syrian state television. Other reports said a convoy believed to be carrying Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles across the border to Hezbollah in Lebanon was struck. The Israeli military declined to comment on the reports.
A spokesman for the Arab League said the bombing was a "glaring violation" of Syria's sovereignty. The "silence of the international community about Israel's bombing of Syrian sites in the past encouraged it to carry out the new aggression, taking advantage of political and security deterioration in Syria," Nabil al-Arabi, the league's head, said.
The Russian foreign ministry said: "If this information is confirmed, then we are dealing with unprovoked attacks on targets on the territory of a sovereign country, which blatantly violates the UN charter and is unacceptable, no matter the motives to justify it."
Hezbollah, the Lebanese Islamic militia, pledged full solidarity with the Syrian regime, saying Israel had "perpetrated a barbaric attack".
"In line with its inherent spirit of aggression and criminality, and in accordance with its policy of preventing any Arab or Islamic power from developing technological and military capabilities, Israel perpetrated a barbaric attack against a Syrian installation for scientific research on Syrian territory, causing the death of a number of Syrians, the injury of others, and the destruction of the installation," the Hezbollah statement read. Two people were killed and five wounded in the attack, according to Syrian state television.
The Syrian ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul-Karim Ali, said Damascus retained "the option... to retaliate". The Iranian deputy foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, was quoted as saying the attack would have significant implications for Tel Aviv, which is within range of Hezbollah rockets.
The US administration was warned of the attack, according to the New York Times.
Israel continued to maintain an official silence on the air strike, following a pattern of previous military interventions attributed to its forces. Some analysts said this was to minimise the likelihood of retaliatory action.
"Clearly someone attacked something on the Syrian-Lebanese border," said military expert Yossi Alpher. "But it's extremely important in these situations that Israel does everything possible to avoid being accredited with these actions. There's a danger of retaliatory action, whether by Syria or Hezbollah."
Alpher said he was "not in the least surprised" by the attack. In the past few days, high-level Israeli emissaries have been despatched to Washington and Moscow, while warnings that weapons, both chemical and conventional, could reach Hezbollah or jihadists inside Syria had become more shrill. "Anyone who puts two and two together is likely to come to this conclusion [that Israel was responsible]," Alpher said.
Gerald Steinberg, of the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies, said Israel's political, military and intelligence leadership would have made careful calculations about the risks of retaliation before ordering air strikes. "This is a government that is very focused on rational cost-benefit analyses. There is no question in my mind that they would have calculated the risks. The costs of not acting would be deemed to be greater than the potential repercussions," he said.
Israel, he added, had "not acted nor spoken publicly about the upheaval in Syria for almost two years. If something has changed, it's because something has changed on the ground."
Amid confusion over the target or targets of the air strike, reports suggested that a convoy carrying conventional weapons, most likely Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles, from Syria to Hezbollah depots in Lebanon was targeted.
"These are game-changing weapons," said Miri Eisin, a former Israeli military intelligence officer. Syria, she said, had received cutting-edge military hardware from Russia, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft surface-to-air missiles. "These are some of the most advanced technologies. If they go to Hezbollah - a non-state terror actor on Israel's border - that's a game-changer. Then you are going to prefer pre-emptive action."
The pre-dawn air strike on the Syrian-Lebanese border closely followed reports of intensive sorties by Israeli military planes. United Nations forces on the Israel-Lebanon border "recorded a high number of Israeli overflights throughout the day and the night", UN spokesman Andrea Tenenti told the Guardian.
UN forces had no evidence of illegal weapons or increased Hezbollah presence in their area of operations, close to the border with Israel. "We haven't seen any suspicious activities in the south," he said.
Israel is widely believed to be behind previous attacks that it never publicly acknowledged. In 2007 Israel was accused of destroying a site in Syria that was believed to be a nuclear reactor under construction. Syria claimed it was a non-nuclear military site.
Israeli fighter planes are believed to have carried out an air strike on an arms factory in Khartoum last October and an attack on an arms convoy in 2009, also in Sudan, in which scores of people were killed. Both were thought to be aimed at preventing the manufacture or transport of weapons to Hamas in Gaza.
RUSSIAN MIG-31 JET FIGHTER BUZZES SINAI NEAR ISRAEL TO SEND MESSAGE
DEBKAfile Special Report January 31, 2013, 9:51 AM (GMT+02:00) Tags: Israeli Air Force http://www.debka.com/static/images/tag_arrow.gif Syria http://www.debka.com/static/images/tag_arrow.gif Russia http://www.debka.com/static/images/tag_arrow.gif Middle East war buildup http://www.debka.com/static/images/tag_arrow.gif US http://www.debka.com/static/images/tag_arrow.gif
http://www.debka.com/dynmedia/photos...ria30.1.13.jpg
Israeli Air Force F-15 Eagle takes off
The Syrian announcement of an Israeli air strike on a military site near Damascus Wednesday, Jan. 30, drew strong condemnation from Moscow the next day: “Such action if confirmed would amount to unacceptable military interference in the war-ravaged country,” said the statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry Thursday. “If this information is confirmed, then we are dealing with unprovoked attacks on targets on the territory of a sovereign country, which blatantly violate the UN Charter and is unacceptable, no matter the motives to justify it.”
Israel has made no comment on the Damascus statement which described in detail an Israeli air strike against a “military research institute” near the capital. Witnesses say it was a plant for manufacturing “unconventional weapons.” The facility was destroyed and two staff members killed.
Lebanese sources later reported a Russian Mig-31 fighter had crossed over Sinai Wednesday in the direction of Israel. It veered west over the Mediterranean after encountering an Israeli warning not to intrude into its air space and continued flying over Lebanon.
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/8510/mig31.jpg
debkafile’s military sources say that the only external military force in the eastern Mediterranean region is a fleet of 18 Russian warships, which includes landing-craft – among the largest in the Russian Navy – with 2,000 marines aboard.
According to various Middle East sources, the Syrian report of an Israeli air strike has touched off high military alerts across the region. Syria has put its Golan forces on the Israel border on combat readiness and the Lebanese and Jordanian armies are on alert. So too are the Russian fleet opposite Syria and the Lebanese army.
Our military sources report that Turkish units on the Syrian border are on high preparedness although Ankara played down the reports of the Israeli air strike in Syria, uncomfortable over the fact that the Israeli Air Force was the first external power to intervene directly in the Syrian conflict.
So too are the US air force units stationed at the Turkish Incerlik air base, the US special forces deployed at the Jordanian Mafraq air facility and the American, German and Dutch Patriot missile interceptors deployed in Turkey opposite Syria. Israel has been on high alert since last week.
The prevailing estimate in military and intelligence circles in Washington and NATO capitals is that the Israeli air attack on the Syrian military site near Damascus was but the opening shot for the coming round of military blows they expect to be exchanged in the near future between Israel, Syria and Hizballah, with Iran possibly waiting in the wings for a chance to pitch in.
Are the Russians are the ones driving those Migs?
Good question!