BICOM

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an explicit acknowledgment yesterday that Israel acts occasionally in Syria in order to prevent weapons transfers from Syria to terror groups in Lebanon.

Although Israel has sat firmly on the side-lines of the Syrian conflict, Israeli leaders have consistently reiterated that action will be taken if attempts are made to supply weapons to terror groups such as Hezbollah, amid the fog of war. Israel is thought to have conducted air strikes against weapons shipments on a number of occasions near the Syria-Lebanon border, with Arab media reporting one in the Qalamoun Mountains earlier this month.

However, in a rare acknowledgment that such activities take place, Netanyahu told the Galilee Conference in northern Israel yesterday that “we operate in Syria from time to time to prevent Syria from becoming a front against us.” In particular, he explained, action is undertaken to stop “specifically deadly” weaponry from reaching groups targeting Israel. Hezbollah is thought to have a stockpile of rockets many times the size of that possessed by Hamas prior to last summer’s conflict.

Netanyahu also reflected on his meeting this week with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Paris, during which the two leaders discussed their close cooperation to ensure that there are no mishaps between each other’s forces in Syria. Alluding to Turkey’s downing of a Russia jet last week, Netanyahu said, “I think the events of the last few days clarify how important” coordination with Russia is. Netanyahu commented that given his meeting with Putin, “I say to you that we will continue” to act in Syria where necessary.

Meanwhile, Lebanese media reports claim that an Israeli listening device in south Lebanon exploded yesterday. Located near the town of Marjayoun, the explosion apparently took place as maintenance work was being carried out on a road. There was no Israeli response to the claim, but there have been previous similar reports since the Second Lebanon War in 2006.