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.
Cool, just in time for Rosh Hoshana!
Next to nothing will happen to retaliate against the attack on Israeli troops, as Olmert will listen to our State Dept., via Condi Rice as per George Bush’s instructions, to not interfere with the peace agreement to form a Pali State. Bush Jr. must have his legacy, you know, and this is one of his last chances for one, a Mid East peace agreement, phony as it would be, and totally detrimental to Israel’s very existence.
They are there, all we gotta do is roll in and expose them to the world.
Ragheads will lose in the end.
I don’t think syria is dumb enough to make it 0 in 4.
Maybe they don't teach recent history in Syria. It's about the right length of time between butt-kickings for another one to take place.
Haha...Happy New Years, you mother -——— Syrians!
Oh no, the Israeli’s attacked a humanitarian shipment of Baby Milk from Iran destined for hungry Syrian children!!!!
;)
Exactly ... blam!!!
Syria is the proxy receiving the blow.
Better to blow up Iranian munitions on the ground before they start killing innocent civilians (and tourists) in Israel.
Never mind my previous point, I get it now. Sorry.
GO ISRAEL!!!!
It doesn’t update very frequently.
They would be the Buffalo Bills of the Middle East.
Yea, but if they go 0-4 they’ll get first round draft picks over the Pakistani’s, who are always looking to extend their losing streak with India...
Did they get Kucinich?
Just wondering.....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.