Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Successful Israeli strike on Syrian chemical weapons


WJD
Successful Israeli strike on Syrian chemical weapons
Saturday's Israeli air strikes on Damascus was far more than an attack on weapons being sent to Hezbollah, American officials said on Monday. It was a direct assault on Syria's entire chemical weapons arsenal - and it succeeded.

The strikes hit multiple targets in the early morning hours on Saturday, but YNet reports that the primary target was "a military research center that American officials have called the country’s main chemical weapons facility."

It is possible that this was the source of the single massive explosion that lit the night sky over Damascus for hours. Video of the explosion has gone viral on the Internet.

Should this report prove accurate, it would mean a major shift in Israeli tactics. With its "red line" on the transfer of chemical weapons already violated, Israel appears to have decided on a policy of absolute preemption.

It is not only determined to prevent the transfer of chemical weapons, but to completely eliminate the Syrian regime's chemical weapons arsenal. This implies a much larger military operation, and one that may continue for some time.

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