BEIRUT — Israeli aircraft fired at a truck convoy along the Lebanon-Syria border early Wednesday, a Western official and a former Lebanese security official said, days after a cabinet minister warned Israel might take action to prevent the transfer of chemical weapons to Islamic militants from inside Syria.
The former Lebanese official said the missile from an unmanned aircraft struck a truck carrying weapons. The truck was on the Syrian side of the border heading toward Lebanon, according to the former official, who said he had been briefed on the incident by high-ranking Lebanese security officials.
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The Associated Press, citing unnamed regional security officials, said Israel had been making plans in recent days to hit a shipment of anti-aircraft missiles from Syria to the militantly anti-Israel group Hezbollah in Lebanon. The shipment included sophisticated, Russian-made SA-17 missiles, the wire service said.
It is the first air strike by Israel into Syria since 2007, when military aircraft bombed a suspected Syrian nuclear facility. Israel fired anti-tank missiles into Syrian from the ground November, after errant shells from Syria crossed the border into the Golan region, which Israel controls.
The Western official and a U.S. official said there is no indication the truck targeted by the Israeli strike was carrying chemical weapons — which have been under intense scrutiny by both the United States and Israel as the brutal, bloody civil conflict in Syria has intensified. The officials said Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles appear to be secure, despite ongoing chaos in that country. They spoke on condition of anonymity, because Israel so far has refused comment on reports about the strike.
“We do not comment on reports of this kind,” a spokeswoman for the Israeli army said Wednesday when asked about a Reuters report that Israeli military jets had struck a target on the Syrian-Lebanese border.
The Lebanese military also did not confirm the airstrike, but said 12 Israeli warplanes had violated Lebanese airspace in less than 24 hours, flying low in several sorties over villages in southern Lebanon, with the last flyover at 2 a.m. local time (7 p.m. Tuesday in Washington).
Lebanon has frequently complained of such violations of its airspace by Israel.
The former Lebanese official said the truck was hit at 1 a.m. There were no casualties, he said.
On Sunday, Israel’s vice prime minister, Silvan Shalom, told Army Radio that movement of chemical weapons to Islamist rebels in Syria or to the Hezbollah guerrilla group in Lebanon would be “a crossing of all red lines that would require a different approach, including even preventive operations.” Shalom said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had convened a meeting of top security chiefs last week to discuss Syria’s chemical arsenal.
In public comments Sunday at the start of the weekly cabinet session, Netanyahu said Israel had to keep an eye on “lethal weaponry in Syria, which is breaking apart.” He added that there were “many threats, an accumulation of threats” which Israel had to prepare for.
Two of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense batteries were positioned Sunday in northern Israel, in what the army called part a routine rotation around the country that was not connected to the current security situation.
According to local media reports, Israel has dispatched its national security advisor, Yaakov Amidror, to Russia and its chief of military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, to the United States to discuss its concerns about developments in Syria.
Karen DeYoung and Anne Gearan in Washington contributed to this report.
The former Lebanese official said the missile from an unmanned aircraft struck a truck carrying weapons. The truck was on the Syrian side of the border heading toward Lebanon, according to the former official, who said he had been briefed on the incident by high-ranking Lebanese security officials.
Graphic
Timeline: Major events in the country’s tumultuous uprising that began in March 2011.
WorldViews
Olga Khazan Democratic elections don't necessarily mean a free press
Caitlin Dewey Egyptian security forces and anti-government protesters briefly united to protect a Cairo hotel that tweeted an SOS call Tuesday morning.
Max Fisher
His office's Facebook page has taken the unusual step of directly challenging the story.
Olga Khazan A collection of photos profiles the lives of Malian refugees.
The Associated Press, citing unnamed regional security officials, said Israel had been making plans in recent days to hit a shipment of anti-aircraft missiles from Syria to the militantly anti-Israel group Hezbollah in Lebanon. The shipment included sophisticated, Russian-made SA-17 missiles, the wire service said.
It is the first air strike by Israel into Syria since 2007, when military aircraft bombed a suspected Syrian nuclear facility. Israel fired anti-tank missiles into Syrian from the ground November, after errant shells from Syria crossed the border into the Golan region, which Israel controls.
The Western official and a U.S. official said there is no indication the truck targeted by the Israeli strike was carrying chemical weapons — which have been under intense scrutiny by both the United States and Israel as the brutal, bloody civil conflict in Syria has intensified. The officials said Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles appear to be secure, despite ongoing chaos in that country. They spoke on condition of anonymity, because Israel so far has refused comment on reports about the strike.
“We do not comment on reports of this kind,” a spokeswoman for the Israeli army said Wednesday when asked about a Reuters report that Israeli military jets had struck a target on the Syrian-Lebanese border.
The Lebanese military also did not confirm the airstrike, but said 12 Israeli warplanes had violated Lebanese airspace in less than 24 hours, flying low in several sorties over villages in southern Lebanon, with the last flyover at 2 a.m. local time (7 p.m. Tuesday in Washington).
Lebanon has frequently complained of such violations of its airspace by Israel.
The former Lebanese official said the truck was hit at 1 a.m. There were no casualties, he said.
On Sunday, Israel’s vice prime minister, Silvan Shalom, told Army Radio that movement of chemical weapons to Islamist rebels in Syria or to the Hezbollah guerrilla group in Lebanon would be “a crossing of all red lines that would require a different approach, including even preventive operations.” Shalom said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had convened a meeting of top security chiefs last week to discuss Syria’s chemical arsenal.
In public comments Sunday at the start of the weekly cabinet session, Netanyahu said Israel had to keep an eye on “lethal weaponry in Syria, which is breaking apart.” He added that there were “many threats, an accumulation of threats” which Israel had to prepare for.
Two of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense batteries were positioned Sunday in northern Israel, in what the army called part a routine rotation around the country that was not connected to the current security situation.
According to local media reports, Israel has dispatched its national security advisor, Yaakov Amidror, to Russia and its chief of military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, to the United States to discuss its concerns about developments in Syria.
Karen DeYoung and Anne Gearan in Washington contributed to this report.