Israeli Officials: No Evidence on Alleged Syria Chemical Arms Transfer to Hizbullah
A former Israeli defense minister has said that Syria's chemical weapons are "trickling" to Hizbullah. But Israeli officials said they did not have any evidence about the alleged transfer.
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a retired general who is now a lawmaker from the opposition Labor party, told The Associated Press on Monday: "The process of weapon transferal to Hizbullah has begun."
He told Israel Radio that he "has no doubt" that Syrian President Bashar Assad has already used chemical weapons and that "these weapons are trickling to Hizbullah."
His statement on chemical weapons reaching Hizbullah did not represent an official assessment, and Israeli defense officials sought to distance themselves from Ben-Eliezer's allegation.
They said that while Israeli officials are deeply concerned about such weapons reaching Hizbullah, they have not seen evidence that this has occurred. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a confidential intelligence assessment and were not authorized to brief reporters.
Israel has repeatedly expressed concern that Syria's chemical arsenal could fall into the hands of anti-Israel fighters like Hizbullah, an Assad ally, or an al-Qaida-linked group fighting with the rebels. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that militants' acquisition of chemical arms or other sophisticated weapons could trigger military action.
Israel is widely believed to have carried out an airstrike in Syria early this year on a shipment of sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles allegedly bound for Hizbullah. Israel has all but confirmed it carried out the attack.
Although Assad is a bitter enemy, Israel has been careful not to take sides in Syria's civil war, partly because the Assad family has kept the border with Israel quiet for the past 40 years and because of concerns of what would happen if he is overthrown.
Israeli military officials believe some Syrian opposition groups, especially those affiliated with the al-Qaida terror group, will turn their focus toward Israel if Assad is ousted.
Ben-Eliezer said he is "amazed by the silence of the world" and that the international community needs to intervene to end the high civilian death toll in Syria's civil war. He said Israel should consider action if there is no international intervention.
"I wouldn't rule out preparing a plan for Israel to act if the world continues to remain silent and the weapons continue to flow to Hizbullah. These are crazy people, terrorists who will not hesitate to use this tomorrow morning," he said.
This week another former defense chief, Environment Minister Amir Peretz, also called for international action in Syria.
Both sides in Syria's civil war accuse each other of using chemical weapons in the war, which according to the U.N. has killed more than 70,000 people.
The U.S. has warned such weapons cross a red line and last week said the weapons were probably used, though it still seeks definitive proof.
Source: Associated Press
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