Israel: Hizbullah could Transfer Syria’s Advanced Arms to Lebanon
Israel expressed concern on Thursday that Hizbullah might attempt to transfer advanced weapons systems or chemical weapons from Syrian to Lebanon if the regime of President Bashar Assad collapsed.
"We are vigilantly watching the developments and the possibility that Hizbullah might attempt to transfer advanced weapons systems or chemical weapons from Syria to Lebanon,” Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement issued by his office.
The defense ministry said that Israel is closely watching developments in Syria where a deadly rebel bomb attack in Damascus killed at least three of Assad's top brass on Wednesday.
The explosion, which targeted a meeting of security chiefs at their Damascus headquarters, killed Defense Minister General Daoud Rajha, Assad's brother-in-law Assef Shawkat and General Hassan Turkmani, head of the regime's crisis cell on the uprising.
"Israel is closely monitoring all of the developments in Syria," Barak said, noting that he held consultations throughout the day with the relevant security and intelligence officials, instructing them "to vigilantly follow the events."
He also discussed the situation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as with U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, telling him that the killing of Assad's top security staff would hasten the fall of the Syrian leader's regime.
"We believe that the removal of the high ranking Syrian officials will catalyze the fall of the Assad regime," Barak told Panetta.
The two agreed to be "in close and continuous contact" regarding events in the region.
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