For a second time this year, Israel has launched an air attack on suspected weapons in Syria. On Friday, Israeli jets over Lebanon let loose stand-off bombs at a building in Damascus and is suspected of hitting surface-to-surface Fateh-110 missiles stored there.
U.S. officials say that the missiles were shipped in from Iran and were ultimately destined for Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. Those same officials report that the warehouse where the missiles were stored is under the control of Hezbollah and Iranian Quds paramilitary forces.
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Israel made good on its promise to target any advanced military weaponry that could be destined to Hezbollah hands. The air attack came just hours after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held a secret meeting of his cabinet and approved the strike on Thursday night.
The website of the Lebonese Army reported that as many as 16 overflights of their airspace had taken place from late Thursday until Friday.
This latest airstrike by Israel is sure to intensify the already high tensions building in the region. Some fear that the internal conflict in Syria may boil over into a regional conflict.
Israel’s first attack came in January of this year when Israeli aircraft targetted a suspected shipment of SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles believed in transit to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah receives the bulk of its funding and arms from Syria and Iran.