Israel strikes Iran-supplied arms depot
near Damascus airport
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[April 27, 2017]
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Angus McDowall
AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israel struck an
arms supply hub operated by the Lebanese group Hezbollah near Damascus
airport on Thursday, Syrian rebel and regional intelligence sources
said, targeting weapons sent from Iran via commercial and military cargo
planes.
Video carried on Lebanese TV and shared on social media showed the
pre-dawn airstrikes caused a fire around the airport east of the Syrian
capital, suggesting fuel sources or weapons containing explosives were
hit.
Syrian state media said Israeli missiles hit a military position
southwest of the airport, but did not mention arms or fuel. It said
"Israeli aggression" had caused explosions and some material losses, but
did not expand on the damage.
Israel does not usually comment on action it takes in Syria. But
Intelligence Minister Israel Katz, speaking to Army Radio from the
United States, appeared to confirm involvement.
"The incident in Syria corresponds completely with Israel's policy to
act to prevent Iran's smuggling of advanced weapons via Syria to
Hezbollah," he said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had "said that
whenever we receive intelligence that indicates an intention to transfer
advanced weapons to Hezbollah, we will act", he added.
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An Israeli military spokeswoman said: "We can't comment on such
reports."
Two senior rebel sources in the Damascus area, citing monitors in the
eastern outskirts of the capital, said five strikes hit an ammunition
depot used by Iran-backed militias.
Lebanon's al-Manar television, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, said
early indications were that the strikes hit warehouses and fuel tanks.
It said there no casualties.
RUSSIA AND IRAN BACK ASSAD
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is backed in his six-year-old civil war
by Russia, Iran and regional Shi'ite militias. These include Hezbollah,
a close ally of Tehran and enemy of Israel, which describes the group as
the biggest threat it faces on its borders. The two fought a month-long
war in 2006.
Syrian military defectors familiar with the airport say it plays a major
role as a conduit for arms from Tehran.
Alongside military planes, there are a number of commercial cargo
aircraft that fly from Iran to resupply arms to Hezbollah and other
groups. The flights go directly from Iran to Syria, passing through
Iraqi airspace.
As well as weapons, hundreds of Shi'ite militia fighters from Iraq and
Iran have been flown to Damascus international airport. Intelligence
sources put their numbers at 10,000 to 20,000 and say they play a
significant role in military campaigns launched by the Syrian army.
Israel has largely kept out the war in Syria, but officials have
consistently referred to two red lines that have prompted a military
response in the past: any supply of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah, and
the establishment of "launch sites" for attacks on Israel from the Golan
Heights region.
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Speaking in Moscow on Wednesday, where he was attending a security
conference, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman reiterated
that Israel "will not allow Iranian and Hezbollah forces to be
amassed on the Golan Heights border".
During his visit, Lieberman held talks with Russian Defence Minister
Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as part of efforts
by Israel to coordinate with Moscow on actions in Syria and avoid
the risk of confrontation.
A statement from the Defence Ministry said Lieberman had expressed
concern to the Russian ministers over "Iranian activity in Syria and
the Iranian use of Syrian soil as a base for arms smuggling to
Hezbollah in Lebanon".
A Western diplomat said the airstrikes sent a clear political
message to Iran, effectively saying it could no longer use Iraqi and
Syrian airspace to resupply proxies with impunity.
Speaking to Reuters in an interview in Washington on Wednesday,
Katz, the intelligence minister, said he was seeking an
understanding with the Trump administration that Iran not be allowed
to establish a permanent military foothold in Syria.
Israeli officials estimate that Iran commands around 25,000 fighters
in Syria, including members of its own Revolutionary Guard, Shi'ite
militants from Iraq and recruits from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Israel has also said that Hezbollah has built up an arsenal of more
than 100,000 rockets, many of which would be capable of striking
anywhere within Israel's territory. The last conflict between the
two left 1,300 people dead and uprooted more than a million Lebanese
and 300,000 to 500,000 Israelis.
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(Additional reporting by Luke Baker in Jerusalem and Omar Fahmy in
Cairo; Writing by Luke Baker, Editing by Christian Schmollinger,
Michael Perry, Richard Lough and David Stamp)
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