Peres: Syria is arming Hezbollah with Scud missiles

Israel’s President Shimon Peres has publicly accused the Syrian government of having transferred long-range Scud missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon and of having trained Hezbollah fighters how to use them. Syria and Hezbollah have both denied the charges. The Scud missiles – which were used by Saddam Hussein against Israel during the Gulf War in 1991 – are believed to have a range of more than 435 miles, placing Israel within range of Hezbollah's forces. During the 2006 Lebanon war, Hezbollah used shorter-range rockets.

"Syria claims it wants peace while at the same time it delivers Scuds to Hezbollah, whose only goal is to threaten the State of Israel. When I speak, I am in favor of peace. They [the Syrians] are in favor of war,” Peres said in a radio interview. Israeli officials called Scud missiles "game-changing" armaments that marked a new escalation in the Mideast conflict. They alleged that Syrian President Assad was linking Syria's military command with those of Hezbollah and Iran.

According to the ‘Wall Street Journal’, senior US officials familiar with the matter said the missiles given to Hezbollah were built with either North Korean or Russian technology.

Congressional leaders in the United States have threatened to block the appointment of a new American ambassador to Syria unless the Obama administration puts heavy pressure on Damascus to stop backing Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations.