(Daily Star-Lebanon) Nicholas Blanford - Israel's airstrikes in the Damascus area Sunday marked the eighth separate sortie against advanced weapons systems destined for Hizbullah since January 2013, when Israel launched its policy of pre-emptive raids against stockpiles of what it considers "game-changing" weapons. Syria, despite acknowledging the air raids, is unlikely to respond directly. Its military capabilities are overstretched in confronting rebel forces and it cannot afford to risk an escalation with the powerful Israeli military. If Hizbullah was to retaliate to Sunday's strikes, its options are fewer than earlier in the year. The Syrian regime has lost ground in the Golan Heights to rebel forces in the past three months which has reduced Hizbullah's ability to use the area as an alternative theater of retaliation. Israel's policy of attacking "game-changing" weapons systems will likely continue as long as targets can be identified, irrespective of whether they are in Syria or Lebanon.
2014-12-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive