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.
Doesn’t Ramadanadingdong start for the religion of satan today? If so, this is a good start for it. May many more aerial gifts be headed their way.
Israelis are just doing one of the jobs Americans won’t do.
LOL !!
Before Condi opens her fat mouth can someone please tell her to keep her mouth shut and let the men handle this.
Maybe all the “Run away from Iraq” types might want to take a look at the Mid East and see just how we are now positioned to now deal with both Syria and Iran. History is going to be very very kind to GW Bush, at least on International Relations. Liberating Iraq in 2002 is looking smarter and smarter every day.
Interesting implications in that. If Israel were to strike NBC dump sites, would that release clouds of N, B or C or a nice mix? If it did, would that be an "Aha" moment or as I fear, the world will condemn Israel? In other words, they will say, Israel bombed Syria with NBC's and that accounts for the release of toxins. So, is it somehow incumbent on Israel to capture the sites or at least to raid them and document what's there before any bombing? Frankly, I don't give a hoot for world opinion, but when it comes to NBC material being released, Israel really needs to be sure they can't get blamed.
As Condi has said too many times, “Syria is on notice.”
Unfornatly, all the evidence will prove meaningless. Sept 11th, capturing Saddam, OBL tape relased before the election...they were/are all dismissed as a Bush plots.
Squashing Assad first would sure make the ayatollahs apoplectic (say *that* three times fast!).
“Russian-made Pantsyr
Your pants, sir.
Hmm, they seem to be a tad soiled. Lets find you some new ones.”
I had no idea the Israeli’s were so good at pressing pants, sir.
durka durka mohammed jihad
“We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.”
The Bush doctrine, and his two Supreme Court nominees, are Bush’s greatest gifts to this country. I’m glad to see the Bush doctrine finally being employed by Israel.
“Granted, it is possible that the Russian “Pantsyr” is simply a transliteration from a common root.”
You’re right - both come from “armored”. Unusual name for an AAM, though.
Nope. Time to put down the popcorn and pick up a weapon.
Good for the Israelis.
And, good for us and everyone that recognizes their threat.
... someone set up us the bomb!
Burka Burka Burka Allah Jihad!
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