Israel conducted an airstrike on Syria, targeting a shipment of missiles for Hezbollah, an unnamed Israeli official confirmed to Reuters on Saturday.
Israel has made it clear that it is prepared to resort to force to prevent the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, including its chemical weapons, from being transferred to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
It has been confirmed that the target of the attack this time was not a chemical weapons factory. According to American sources, some kind of storage facility or building was targeted. The Israeli airstrike was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet at a secret meeting on Thursday evening, an Israeli security source said.
Earlier, CNN, citing two American sources, reported that Israel likely carried out the airstrike on Syria ‘on Thursday or Friday’ and that Israeli aircraft did not enter Syrian airspace during the operation.
Lebanese authorities reported unusually intense activity of Israeli air forces over their territory on Thursday and Friday. Lebanese security sources say it was likely related to monitoring possible arms deliveries between Syria and Lebanon. In January of this year, Israel bombed a convoy in Syria that was likely transporting weapons for Hezbollah. Hezbollah and Israel fought a 34-day war in 2006.
