By Amos Harel
According to reports from Syria, Sunday’s attacks were aimed at two targets – the area of the Damascus airport and the Syrian border with Lebanon. To judge by past attacks, the airport air strike was probably aimed at warehouses where arms shipments that arrive by air from Iran are stored, while the border area was bombed to prevent an arms convoy from moving toward Lebanon....
This isn't about distracting from settlements. The settlements into Palestine is wrong and outside the expectations of any international understanding to the Palestinians.
Israel is allowed to protect it's people and borders. The settlements and this air strike are separate topics. The settlements are suppose to be sovereign Palestinian land. Airstrikes into Syria is being conducted by a coalition and I am certain Israel is considered an ally to the coalition. If not then it is an ally to the USA.
...Sunday’s attacks came after a relatively long period of quiet. As far as is known, there have been no Israeli bombings since the bombing of Jenta, on the Lebanese side of the border, in February. The bombing on Sunday was exceptional, however, in at least three aspects: It came after Hezbollah had tried to set new rules of the game with Israel on the northern front; it occurred after the international community had clearly changed its priorities regarding the war in Syria (from toppling the regime of Bashar Assad to defeating his rival, ISIS), and it is also the first Israeli operation in Syria since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he was planning new elections....
If this is due to arm shipments by Iran to the Assad government, the coalition has to decide how it discerns such support to Assad. If the Assad forces are the legitimate government of Syria, attacks to weaken him is not a good idea.
Assad can add to the defeat of the Islamic State. The UN has recognized the need for a power sharing government in Syria. If the Assad government is going to survive as a partner in Syria (which is necessary due to the minority Shia in Syria) there has to be recognition of the legitimate need for arms. If Iran is arming Assad to survive the Islamic State's uprising that has to be recognized.
Israel has every right to act in defense of it's people, however, Israel has to also recognize the need for stability in Syria and whom is going to supply it.
This isn't about distracting from settlements. The settlements into Palestine is wrong and outside the expectations of any international understanding to the Palestinians.
Israel is allowed to protect it's people and borders. The settlements and this air strike are separate topics. The settlements are suppose to be sovereign Palestinian land. Airstrikes into Syria is being conducted by a coalition and I am certain Israel is considered an ally to the coalition. If not then it is an ally to the USA.
...Sunday’s attacks came after a relatively long period of quiet. As far as is known, there have been no Israeli bombings since the bombing of Jenta, on the Lebanese side of the border, in February. The bombing on Sunday was exceptional, however, in at least three aspects: It came after Hezbollah had tried to set new rules of the game with Israel on the northern front; it occurred after the international community had clearly changed its priorities regarding the war in Syria (from toppling the regime of Bashar Assad to defeating his rival, ISIS), and it is also the first Israeli operation in Syria since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he was planning new elections....
If this is due to arm shipments by Iran to the Assad government, the coalition has to decide how it discerns such support to Assad. If the Assad forces are the legitimate government of Syria, attacks to weaken him is not a good idea.
Assad can add to the defeat of the Islamic State. The UN has recognized the need for a power sharing government in Syria. If the Assad government is going to survive as a partner in Syria (which is necessary due to the minority Shia in Syria) there has to be recognition of the legitimate need for arms. If Iran is arming Assad to survive the Islamic State's uprising that has to be recognized.
Israel has every right to act in defense of it's people, however, Israel has to also recognize the need for stability in Syria and whom is going to supply it.
