Posted on 09/11/2007 7:18:21 PM PDT by blam
US confirms Israeli air strike on Syria
By Tim Butcher in Tel Aviv
Last Updated: 2:26am BST 12/09/2007
A US official has confirmed that Israeli warplanes carried out an air strike "deep inside" Syria, escalating tensions between the two countries.
The target of the strike last Thursday remained unclear but Israeli media reported that a shipment of Iranian arms crossing Syria for use by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon was attacked.
Israeli army Merkeva tanks on the Golan Heights
Syria first reported the incident on the day, saying its air defences had engaged five Israeli planes, but did not say what their target was. Israel remained uncharacteristically silent, pointedly refusing to deny that its warplanes were involved in an operation. The closest it came to acknowledging the affair happened was when it made an undertaking to Turkey to investigate how an Israeli long-range fuel tank was dropped on Turkish territory near the Syrian border.
Another theory gaining ground yesterday was that Israel was deliberately attacking the Russian-made Pantsyr air defence system recently bought by Damascus. The sale includes provision for the Pantsyr system to be shipped on to Iran and it is possible the Israeli attack was co-ordinated with America to probe the effectiveness of the system. It is believed that Iran would use the Pantsyr system to defend its nuclear facilities.
Syria has sought to keep the incident in the public arena, saying yesterday that it had complained formally to the United Nations, accusing Israel of unjustified aggression.
Syria and Israel have fought major wars on three occasions, in 1948, 1967 and 1973, as well as numerous other skirmishes. The two nations remain formally at war although an uneasy calm has largely held for the past three decades. Meanwhile, Israel was contemplating a retaliatory strike on Gaza last night after a Palestinian qassam rocket injured 69 of its soldiers, five seriously, at the Zikim army base. Many of the Israelis were hit by shrapnel as they slept under canvas.
While the rocket was fired by members of the Islamic Jihad party, Israel said it would hold Hamas accountable because the group is the main authority in the Gaza strip since it drove out its Fatah rivals in June.
The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, convened an emergency meeting yesterday with military and security commanders to discuss a response to the attack.
Not too much to hope, but maybe too much to expect.
Unless he was doing a Hanoi Jane at the Syrian SAM or SAM radar site.
Or plowing the way?
No, but UNIFIL has put in an emergency requisition for nail pullers to loan to Hezbollah so they can open the Iranian goodie boxes.
There's another place that ought to be smoking hole within 12-24 hours. Sixty nine casualties is a bunch in a country as small as Israel.
Shortly before the planes took them out?
I hope Israel takes out the depots that have the WMDs formerly known as Saddam’s.
Since Israel and Syria are formally STILL at war — there should be no surprise or concern that she attacks her enemy if an attractive target presents itself.....
Nothing to see here folks, move along.....
Warriors who refuse to die, are engaged in serious business.
Read for detail.
In this case it looks like Israel was helping the US figure out how potent Iranian air defences might be when we hit their nuke sites.
I find that to be an awfully funny sentence.
I say, go for it, Israel. Let us know if you need any help.
“Shortly before the planes took them out?”
Exactly.
Based on what’s being said and what’s not being said, it appears the Israeli raid was successful.
I don’t know whom I want to see destroyed first, Assad or the mad mullahs.
As long as they both get destroyed I think the order of who will be destroyed first is not that important :)
Kucinich was in the lead truck?
yitbos
Then we flip a coin.
No such luck...
Knew this was coming...Arab-Israeli Round 5, or is it 6?
want to bet they aren’t?
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