Times of Israel:
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman acknowledged that Israel was responsible for recent attacks in Syria, saying on Wednesday that they were meant to prevent “advanced weapons, military equipment and weapons of mass destruction” from reaching Hezbollah.
Speaking to ambassadors from the European Union, Liberman did not specify what incident or incidents he was referring to, speaking only about “what was done in Syria,” according to a statement from his office.
“We are working, first and foremost, to defend the safety of our citizens and to protect our sovereignty, and we are trying to prevent the smuggling of advanced weapons, military equipment and weapons of mass destruction from Syria to Hezbollah,” he said.
His office refused to expand on what weapons of mass destruction Hezbollah may have been trying to acquire. In the past, however, Israeli officials, including former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon, have expressed concerns that the terrorist group may specifically receive chemical weapons from the Syrian regime.
During the meeting with EU officials, the defense minister also laid out his view for how Israel would like to see the Syrian civil war resolved and his skepticism at the prospects of a peace deal with the Palestinians in the near future.
One EU ambassador told The Times of Israel that a “good, constructive conversation” had been held with Liberman, but expressed “deep concern” over the so-called regulation bill, which would legalize some Israeli settlements built on private Palestinian land.
“They entire world is watching” what Israel is doing with this bill, the ambassador said, requesting anonymity.
“At 3:00 a.m., the Israeli enemy fired several surface-to-surface missiles from inside occupied territory,” the Syrian state news agency SANA said, citing a military source. The report said the Israeli missiles caused a large fire but no injuries or deaths.
Last week, Israeli planes also reportedly struck both a weapons site near the Syrian capital and a Hezbollah convoy, causing some large explosions but also no casualties.
Israel generally does not officially admit to carrying out attacks deep inside Syria, though it has publicly maintained it will not allow advanced weapons to be transferred to Hezbollah.
In his remarks, the defense minister insisted that Israel is not interested in getting involved in the Syrian civil war, but will work to defend itself…
