Israel widens offensive to curb flow of weapons from Syria with air raid

May 4, 2013 – ISRAEL – Israeli aircraft bombed a target in Syria overnight Thursday, an Obama administration official said Friday night, as American officials said they were considering military options, including carrying out their own airstrikes. American officials did not provide details on the target of the Israeli strike. The Associated Press quoted Israeli officials on Saturday as saying the target of the raid was a shipment of advanced missiles bound for the Hezbollah Shiite militia in Lebanon. While saying the shipment did not include chemical arms, the official described the missiles as “game changing,” an apparent reference to the capability of the missiles. In late January, Israel carried out airstrikes against SA-17 antiaircraft weapons, which the Israelis feared were about to be moved to Hezbollah. Israel has been worried that chemical weapons and advanced arms might be transferred to Hezbollah from Syria, and the Israeli military has made clear that it is prepared to take action to stop such shipments. “Chemicals maybe get a lot of press and attention, but one of the clear things worrying us is advanced conventional weapons,” said one senior Israeli official, speaking on the condition he not be named because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has long had a close relationship with Hezbollah, and Syria has been a gateway for shipping Iranian weapons to the militia. Hezbollah has sent trainers and advisers to Syria to help Mr. Assad with his war against the Syrian opposition, American officials say, and Syrian opposition officials report that Hezbollah fighters are also involved in the conflict. The Lebanese government confirmed on Saturday the Israeli warplanes flew over its airspace overnight Thursday, circling over Beirut and its suburbs, although it was not immediately clear if they were the same jets that carried out the strike in Syria. A spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington declined on Friday night to comment on the Israeli attack, which was first reported by CNN, saying only in a statement, “Israel is determined to prevent the transfer of chemical weapons or other game-changing weaponry by the Syrian regime to terrorists, specially to Hezbollah in Lebanon.” Avi Issacharoff, an Israeli defense analyst, wrote on the news site Walla.com that it was no surprise that Syria and Hezbollah did not acknowledge the strike. “Any admission by either Syria or Hezbollah that the Israeli Air Force had attacked a weapons convoy, which would obligate them to retaliate, would only serve to paint them into a corner,” Mr. Issacharoff wrote. “The Syrian Army currently lacks the manpower to face Israel on the ground — and certainly not in the air. A conflagration with the IDF is liable to result in the loss of the only advantage that Assad has over the opposition forces — the Syrian Air Force.” The Israeli attack came as the Obama administration — as part of its examination of possible responses to obtaining conclusive proof that Mr. Assad has used chemical weapons — is considering military options with allies. Those options include attacking Syria’s antiaircraft systems, military aircraft and some of its missile fleet, according to senior officials from several countries. –NY Times