Israel Mum over Strike Claims, Considers Transfer of Weapons to Hizbullah 'Red Line'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Israel was on Thursday tightlipped over Syrian claims it had bombed a military site near Damascus, while stressing that any transfer of advanced weaponry to Hizbullah would cross a red line.
Israeli officials and the military refused to confirm or deny any involvement in the alleged attack and had no comment on separate reports from security sources that its warplanes had struck a weapons convoy along the Syria-Lebanon border.
The Syrian army said an Israeli strike, which took place early on Wednesday, had targeted a "scientific research center" near Damascus, with local residents telling Agence France Presse it was a non-conventional weapons research center.
Israel has frequently warned that if Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons fell into the hands of Hizbullah, it would be a casus belli.
But it has also raised the alarm over long-range Scud missiles or other advanced weaponry, such as anti-aircraft systems and surface-to-surface missiles, being transferred to Hizbullah.
The strike made headlines across the Israeli press on Thursday, with officials and commentators quick to stress that Israel would never allow the transfer of sophisticated weaponry to Hizbullah, a close ally of both Syria and Iran.
"The best thing that Israel has been hoping for for a long time is that the West will take control of these weapons," said Tzahi HaNegbi, an MP from the ruling Likud party, who is known as a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"But the world is not ready to take such a decision as it did in Libya or Iraq, so Israel finds itself facing a dilemma which we alone can resolve," he told army radio, indicating that Israel was left with no choice but to take preventative action.
"Israel has always said that if sophisticated weapons coming from Iran, North Korea and Russia fell into the hands of Hizbullah, it would cross a red line," he said.
"Israel cannot accept that advanced weapons fall into the hands of terrorist organizations," he stressed.
Dan Harel, a former deputy chief-of-staff in the Israeli military, said that if Hizbullah or other militant groups got their hands on such weaponry, it would change the strategic balance of force in the region.
"We are not ready to accept that Hizbullah changes the balance of force," he told army radio.
"We have said it many times in the past. If Israel did do what is claimed, it was to maintain the military balance with Hizbullah," he said.
31 January 2013, 11:13
24
where is the charter of the united nations ?
or it works only one way ?
31 January 2013, 13:17
46
mowaten.
we are happy that less chemical weapons came into Lebanon.
31 January 2013, 13:35
26
Greetings to all...What spikes me the most following reading all these comments is one simple fact, whether you are pro or con Asad, the Syrian people have broken this belt of fear that has starpped them for over 5 decades. No matter what is your affiliation, you have to give them high credit for what they are doing...I wonder when the lebanese people are goingto wake up one day from their long coma and realize that we cannot live without each other and all of them march hand in hand and put down this filthy political mafia that has been running this great country. wake up people and break this belt of fear and go forward to the parliament and occupy it and throw them all in jail..ooops I just woke up and realized I was dreaming...
Thomas Jefferson once said: The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
31 January 2013, 14:59
36
I respect yoir opinion hakawati but you should phrase it better by saying I dont believe in God, because for you to say there is no God then you are obliged to provide proof. God bless you anyway.
31 January 2013, 18:03
00
Actually Phoenician the burden of proof should b on you to prove that there is a God, and not on anyone to prove that there isn't. Because surely there isn't a God until you can prove that there is, which ou can't do because theres zero evidence for his existence. The reason being, he doesn't exist!
31 January 2013, 20:31
14
No proof needed, God is all around us, in the air, in the water, in the sky, in the trees...all you have to do is open your eyes, ears nose and mouth. I understand this is a difficult proposition for someone like you given the fact your head is so firmly planted up Nassi's chimney where you are deprived of all of the life promoting elements.
31 January 2013, 16:13
52
The US, Europe, UK are all the slaves of Israel. If Obama wants to open his mouth, he has to call Natanyahu first and ask for approval, the same goes to the rest. When Israel kill the scientist in Iran, it is not terrorism, it is for the greater good. The question is for who? Israel as a US ally have most of their spies there. When 9/11 happened, they caught Israelis dancing and cheering and filming the fun event. After a month they buried these stories no one talk about it, it is a red line.
31 January 2013, 17:16
27
Shukran Shukran Israel. They actually saved A LOT of Lebanese lives because those weapons would have been used against us. They'd have shot down MEA planes and pretexted it was Israel so they can retaliate and launch another July '06.
31 January 2013, 17:53
05
Hush up flamer boy, more power to israel. Bombs away, about time they hit the right target.
31 January 2013, 18:05
20
I remember when I was in Lebanon during the Israelis' occupation. Stopping the traffic for hours for no reason. They love the lebanese as much they love their feces.
31 January 2013, 20:35
04
More raids, more air strikes, more often. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Destroy the military capabilities of Satan's Party at every turn and opportunity please and thanks you for doing what we wish and pray we can do ourselves.
