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.
Said the night wind to Iran
Do you sense what I sense?
'Way up in the sky, Iran
Do you know what I know
Always a good solution when there is a choice to make :)
Whatever it was, Israel was highly motivated to take it out. Something in the works?
Um, shouldn’t this be in Breaking News?
Syria now knows they are alone in the Arab world. Not ONE Arab country has even mentioned the incident. The UN won't give 'em the time of day...and Iran hasn't said a word, much less lifted a finger.
AZssad bought the "unconventional war" BS spouted by Iran and the Jihadis...and now finds himself ALONE, unable to defend his nation from the "blood-thirsty demon joooos".
This MIGHT turn Syria and completely isolate Iran.
My conclusion is that Israeli intelligence shows massive Syrian/Hezbolla build up preparing for something. This was a not so subtle demonstration that Israel is watching and isn’t just going to sit there.
Oh yeah! They're dumb enough.
I would LOVE for the Israelis to overrun Syria in a suprise attack, so we can get a real good looksee in the Bekaa valley.
Rut roh.
If America thinks they (WMD)are there, then America should go there. No ifs and or buts
The term "Pantsyr" is uncomfortably close to Panzer--as in Nazi Germany's Panzer Division--for my taste.
Granted, it is possible that the Russian "Pantsyr" is simply a transliteration from a common root. But given the baggage with which the German word Panzer is now freighted, it would probably be appropriate for those with any sensitivity to avoid it altogether.
Did I say "sensitivity"?
Come to think of it, that probably goes a long way toward explaining why the Russians are not at all bashful about using the word...
Both part of the same slimy douche-bag!
An action well planned and executed.
It’s about time. As long as Damascus is still standing, they haven’t dropped enough bombs. I want to see it in ruins. < / cheesey grin > LOL
Stories keep mentioning a ‘big hole in the desert’ in Eastern Syria.
I wonder if someone could find it with Google’s mapping feature.
Is that why all our top-tier Rats are visiting Assad lately? To convince him to ‘turn’?
Is that fool Kucinich still kissing totalitarian butt?
drzz broke the story before anybody but his post was exiled into the little seen Blogger section. I posted a skeptical reply. Oops.
The hidden story of how Israel quietly and seriously kicked the ass of Syria last week
My blog ^ | 09 11 2007 | drzz
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1894470/posts
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