At the annual Munich security conference, Defense Minister Ehud Barak hinted that Israel carried out an airstrike against Hezbollah in Syria last Wednesday. Israeli threats to take preemptive action against its enemies were not empty, Barak said, adding: “We mean it." The defense minister added: “I cannot add anything to what you have read in the newspapers about what happened in Syria several days ago. I keep telling frankly that we said - and that’s proof when we said something we mean it - we say that we don’t think it should be allowed to bring advanced weapons systems into Lebanon.”
During the 22 months of civil war in Syria, Israeli leaders have repeatedly expressed concern that high-end weapons could fall into the hands of enemy Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist group which attacked the Jewish state in 2006.
Over the weekend, Syrian TV broadcast a video of the attack site for the first time, showing destroyed vehicles and a damaged building identified as a scientific research center. US officials said the strike had hit both the building and the convoy.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan harshly criticized Israel over the airstrike. He accused Jerusalem of engaging in “state-sponsored terrorism." Erdogan was quoted by the 'Hürriyet' newspaper as saying: "Those who have from the very beginning looked in the wrong direction and who have nourished and raised Israel like a spoiled child should always expect such things from Israel." Erdogan also criticized Iran, saying that should first of all "reconsider its attitude against Syria."
"What is Iran doing about Syria? While considering the acts of Israel, Iran at the same time needs to allow for common steps to be taken in the region," he declared.
Meanwhile, Syria's embattled President Bashar al-Assad said during a meeting with a top Iranian official that his country would confront any aggression. “Syria, with the awareness of its people, the might of its army and its adherence to the path of resistance, is able to face the current challenges and confront any aggression that might target the Syrian people,” Assad was quoted as saying by the state news agency SANA. He made the remarks during a meeting with Saeed Jalili, the head of Iran’s National Security Council. Iran is Syria’s closest regional ally. Jalili, on a three-day visit to Syria, has pledged Tehran’s continued support for Assad’s regime.
Jalili, who also serves as his country’s top nuclear negotiator, condemned the Israeli raid, stressing that it has proven the “aggressive nature of Israel and its threat of the region’s security and stability.” The chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard expressed hope on Sunday that Syria would strike back against Israel.
