Syria Support Movement solidarity with the Syrian people
Smoke rises in the city of Latakia, August 14, 2011. Photo by Reuters
Jan 27, 2014, Haaretz
The Israel Air Force bombed a Syrian base in the Latakia airport in the north of the country on Sunday, Lebanese media reported Monday morning. There are currently no other confirmations of this report.
Israeli security sources refused to confirm or deny the claims and there are serious doubts as to whether Israel in fact carried out the attack. In such cases in the past, information leaked was corroborated by the American government. They have not commented on this incident.
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.
Israel’s security establishment estimates that Syrian President Bashar Assad is committed to transferring weapons to Hezbollah in light of the group’s contribution to the survival of his regime.
