Syrian report: Israel bombs outskirts of Damascus for second time in recent days

Washington Post ^ | Published: SUNDAY, MAY 05, 10:00 AM ET | By Liz Sly and Suzan Haidamous,

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Israeli officials report their target was a shipment of advanced long-range missiles headed to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. They are both a major supporter of the Assad regime in Syria and an outspoken enemy of Israel.

  Aa  

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BEIRUT — Israeli warplanes bombed the outskirts of Damascus early Sunday for the second time in recent days, according to Syrian state media and reports from activists, signaling a sharp escalation in tensions between the neighboring countries that had already been exacerbated by the conflict raging in Syria.

Though there was no official confirmation that Israel had carried out the attack, the Israeli military later announced that it had deployed two of its Iron Dome rocket defense batteries near its northern border in response to what it called “ongoing situational assessments.”

Videos posted on the Internet by activists showed a huge fireball erupting on Mount Qassioun, a landmark hill overlooking the capital on which the Syrian government has deployed much of the firepower it is using against rebel-controlled areas surrounding the city.

[driftdiver]

Why Syria and not Iran?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The target was Fateh-110 missiles, which have precision guidance systems with better aim than anything Hezbollah is known to have in its arsenal, the official said.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

A lengthy report from the Washington Post.

[rdcbn]

What it looks like is a time delayed ground penetrating munition hitting a bunker and penetrating it, a small primary explosion from the denotation of the bomb, followed by a huge secondary explosion of the missiles and munitions inside the bunker.

And pretty much everything else in the immediate vicinity, including a pretty major Syrian military installation.

Consider the implications.

By the size of the secondary explosion, there must have been a sizable cache of Iranian missiles and warheads staged there for use by terrorists.

This cache represents a huge investment in time and assets by Iran to build the missiles and launch systems.

The facility is near an airport, so the Iranian's also must have spent a huge amount of assets airlifting them into Syria, along with lots of other ordnance.

According to reports, Iran had completed what must have been many months of covert deliveries of missiles and were in the process of transferring them to Hezbollah Terrorists.

This transfer no doubt meant the there were many high level Syrian, Iranian, Hezbollah, North Korean and possibly Pakistani officials, high level Military personnel, highly trained technicians from the above countries , and the terrorist crews training to operate the missile batteries all on site.

In effect, the Israelis allowed Iran and Syria to transport and stage a huge quantity of ordnance, munitions intended to launch a war of aggression and terror against Israel, into one of the Crown Jewels of Syria’s Military-Industrial Complex and effectively used that ordnance to completely destroy that facility along with a lot of irreplaceable, high value and high-level personnel

This is a huge loss Syria, Iran and Hezbollah and poetic justice of the highest order

5-10-5! (from a time back when the world still understood right from wrong)

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Ernest.

Israeli strikes on Syria 'totally unreal', says witness [visit link for video] -- BBC -- 5 May 2013 -- Israeli strikes on Syrian army targets caused a "huge explosion" which felt "totally unreal", according to an eyewitness. The strikes led to a number of casualties and widespread damage, the Syrian foreign ministry has reported in a letter sent to the UN. Earlier, state media said a research centre had been hit. Israeli sources said weapons bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon were the target. A French journalist in Damascus, Jean Pierre Duthion, told the BBC's Newshour programme what he heard.

[SunkenCiv]

The fact that these missiles are being moved shows that Iran and its Hizbullah proxy has given up on keeping Assad in power and/or holding on to Syria. Now it’s all about building up the Hizzies’ capability.

Israeli air strikes: A warning to Syria’s Assad
By Jonathan Marcus
Defence correspondent, BBC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22419221

[Robe]

Did Israel use these in Syrian attack????

http://defense-update.com/20130505_israeli-standoff-attack-capability-against-terrorists.html

[Marine_Uncle]

Meanwhile, the Russians stew in their pot as they see their hold on Syria going up in smoke.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks,....it was a Big Explosion for sure.

See #11.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Saw this from your link....and yet another video slighly different than others going around:

Air Attacks – Syria 2013 – An Open Hunting Season?

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[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Posted on other thread....lenghty from the Russians with additonal comments and recap of the explosions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd1Tis4_Ql0

[SunkenCiv]

Spice, spice baby...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3015945/posts

[Tailgunner Joe]

Doesn't Israel realize that Assad and Hizb-allah are the "good muslims" who are fighting the bad al-qaeda rebels?

I guess Israel is too distracted by reality to engage in such arcane distinctions.

[Old Yeller]

bttt

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Link at #15 from no-to-illegals

It is an collection already seen with seral talking heads with various statements and comments on implications for much and further escalation ....

[Marine_Uncle]

Things are sort of heating up a bit.