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(Image source: Al Jazeera)
BY ZACH TOOMBS
Israel has confirmed it stepped into Syria's ongoing civil war to protect its own interests
this week. Reporters only know what governments are telling them at this point ...
... but Israel says it dispatched bombers to hit a weapons shipment destined for the
Hezbollah in Lebanon. This video comes from Syrian state television via CNN — unconfirmed,
but possibly footage of the airstrike's aftermath from afar.
Lebanon sits just to Israel's north. The Israeli government believes the weapons were shipped
from Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. And while they included no chemical weapons, Israeli
officials have said advanced traditional weapons were in play. (Via BBC)
In January, Israel confirmed it carried out a similar attack meant to stop the flow of
weapons from Syria into Lebanon, where it fears Hezbollah's paramilitary wing would
turn those weapons against Israel. (Via RT)
As The New York Times notes, Hezbollah has received financial backing from the Assad
regime in Syria for years. Some rebel fighters in Syria even say Hezbollah militants are
fighting alongside the government.
Given the close U.S. relationship with Israel, Friday morning's airstrike has prompted all
sorts of questions — especially from the media — as to whether American involvement
is more likely. But President Barack Obama has been hesitant...
...to intercede in Syria's two-year civil war, even as evidence of chemical weapons
use piles up and the death toll climbs well above the former U.N. estimate of 70,000.
On Friday, the president said this in Costa Rica. (Via Al Jazeera)
"I do not foresee a scenario in which boots on the ground in Syria — American boots
on the ground in Syria — would not only be good for America but would also be good
for Syria." (Via Sky News)
Neither Syria's government nor Hezbollah have spoken out publicly on the attacks as of early
Saturday.