Israel warns Syria over Hezbollah attacks

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article7101106.ece ^

[jhpigott]

Israel has delivered a secret warning to Syrian President Bashar Assad that it will respond to missile attacks from Hezbollah, the militant Lebanese-based Islamist group, by launching immediate retaliation against Syria itself.

In a message, sent earlier this month, Israel made it clear that it now regards Hezbollah as a division of the Syrian army and that reprisals against Syria will be fast and devastating.

It follows the discovery by Israeli intelligence that Syria has recently supplied long-range ballistic missiles and advanced anti-aircraft systems to Hezbollah.

“We’ll return Syria to the Stone Age by crippling its power stations, ports, fuel storage and every bit of strategic infrastructure if Hezbollah dare to launch ballistic missiles against us,” said an Israeli minister, who who was speaking off-the-record, last week.

The warning, which was conveyed to Damascus by a third party, was sent to reinforce an earlier signal by Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister. “If a war breaks out the Assad dynasty will lose its power and will cease to reign in Syria,” he said earlier this year.

The Israeli decision to hold Syria directly responsible for Hezbollah’s actions is believed to be the result of intelligence assessments that Beirut has lost control of the Shi’ite organisation, which has become an increasingly powerful force in Lebanon.

Reports that Syria has supplied Hezbollah with Russian-made Scud ballistic missiles have alarmed Israeli ministers. The missiles have the potential to reach the entire country and could carry chemical warheads. New gas masks are being supplied to Israel’s entire population, with an intensive television advertising campaign underway to stress their importance.

[jhpigott]

Well, this certainly ups the ante . . . if/when Israel and Hezbollah lock horns again, we may have ourselves a full blown regional war

Israel: 1) threatens to launch immediate (fast and devastating) retaliation against Syria in event of Hezbollah attack

2) considers Hezbollah a division of the Syrian army

3) will target Syrian infrastructure

[jhpigott]

ping

[FlyingEagle]

War undoubtedly coming soon over these missiles.

[givemELL]

Best to get the ports before the Russians establish their naval bases there...they are hurrying.

[Oldexpat]

Zero has really improved the situation with the ME, Iran and Israel. He has really done a great job in defusing the tension and coming to a long term peace soltion. Damn..I never thought he could do it...

[cmsgop]

Don't back down BiBi, we the American People have you back, the Govt not so much it seems.....

[Walkingfeather]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2492569/posts?page=3#3

[combat_boots]

God bless Israel and all who defend and protect her. Get ‘em, Judah.

[jhpigott]

I think the Syrian delivery of SCUDs to Hezbollah certainly hasn’t helped the situation, but it looks like Israel is directly threatening to retaliate against Syria for ANY attack by Hezbollah.

[prisoner6]

4 or maybe 5) Iran launches a dirty nuke against Israel.

Thanks Barak Hussein.

prisoner6

[section9]

Oh, goody. By the way, this may be what the Al-Saud's want. They tire of the Iranian presence in the West, and may be ready to have the Joooos do their dirty work for them.

Hearing of this demarche, it wouldn't take long for an inventive Saudi intelligence chief to call in his chits with his clients in Lebanon, especially those Hezboallah operatives on his payroll. If the Syrians have been foolish enough (and the Boy President is NOT his father...) to actually give the Hez the missiles in any kind of quantity, than a reliable missile regiment commander could let loose literally dozens of the damn things agianst Haifa, Tel Aviv....Damona....

And knowing the Al-Saud clan, they'd find a way to blame it on the Persians.

The Syrians are clever, but too clever by half sometimes. It will be one of the great mysteries of modern Arab history how an Alawite family got their nation transformed into a client of a Persian Empire on the other side of the Arab world, one that just happened to have an American army in between it and its patron.

Best,

Chris

[Shaun_MD]

Earlier Saturday, Israel was firing flares over southern Lebanon. The Lebanese army went on full alert.

[bunkerhill7]

Deja Vu the Cuban Missile Crisis-

Is it a Back-Down by Syria or A Flatten-Down by Israel?

Don`t mess with the Star of David

[jhpigott]

Yep, I saw that.

The Israelis have been doing a lot of probing along their northern border since the new year. The IDF held a very large exercise a couple months ago. I have read about a number of incidents where small elements of the IDF have ventured near/just over the border. And the IAF has really stepped up recon over S. Lebanon and the Bekka Valley. Things are pretty tense in that corner of the world.

[Thunder90]

It could also serve as further justification for Israel to knock out Iran’s nuclear reactors, as Hezbollah is to Iran as Al Qaeda was to Afghanistan pre 9/11

[jhpigott]

Interesting timing . . .

20:0414/04/2010

Russia’s nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky has arrived in Syria’s Mediterranean port of Tartus ahead of Russian Navy drills in the Indian Ocean.

A large Syrian naval delegation accompanied by Russia’s ambassador to Syria, Sergei Kirpichenko, visited the Russian warship on Wednesday.

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100414/158581904.html

[SkipW]

So what?

[50cal Smokepole]

Hmmm....
“The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from [being] a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.”
Isaiah 17:1

[Shaun_MD]

I was just about to post something about that. The timing is not a coincidence. Seems like everybody is getting all their ducks in a row.

[jhpigott]

Undoubtedly.

Neutralizing Hezbollah and Syria would go a long way towards limiting Iran’s retalitory options in the event of an Israeli airstrike against Iran’s nuke facilities.