Israel Matzav

Here we go again: Report claims IAF hits Syrian base in Latakia

The Israel Air Force bombed a Syrian base in the Latakia airport in the north of the country, Lebanese journalists reported Monday morning.  There are currently no other confirmations of this report.

Senior Israeli officials have clarified on several occasions that Israel will not allow the transfer of advanced weapons from Syria to Hezbollah, which they fear will bolster the militant Shi'ite group's ability to attack Israeli targets.

Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that Israel is operating to thwart the transfer of weapons, even if such reports are not made public. He was relating specifically to the threat posed by Hezbollah to Israeli naval ships by precise missiles.

According to various reports in foreign media, Israel attacked weapons depots in the Latakia area in the past, though Israel has not confirmed such reports. Last November, U.S. sources reported that Israel was behind an attack on Russian SA-8 surface-to-air missiles near Latakia.

Labels: arms shipments, Hezbullah, Hezbullah weapons, IAF, Latakia, Syrian air space, weapons shipment

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:21 AM