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Reports: Israel bombs chemical weapons factory in Syria

[additional-authors]
September 7, 2017
Air Force F-16 D fighter jet taking off at the Ramat David Air Force Base. Photo by Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images

Tensions between Israel and Syria increased after reports that Israel hit a research center responsible for developing chemical weapons near the city of Hama. Two Syrian soldiers were reported killed.

[This story originally appeared on themedialine.org]

Adhering to its past policy, Israel did not officially take responsibility for the attack.

“The IDF policy is that we don’t respond to foreign allegations or reports,” an Israeli army spokesman told The Media Line.

But both in Israel and abroad there seemed to be little question that Israel was behind the attack, which was being seen in Israel as a message to Syria, and its main allies, Iran and Russia.

The Syrian army warned of “serious consequences” after confirming reports that Israel was behind the attack. In a bizarre twist, it accused Israel of supporting Islamic State, which has been fighting the Syrian regime of President Bashar al Assad.

“The Syrian army warns of the serious consequences of these kinds of aggressive activities against the security and stability in the region,” the statement said. “The army is determined to destroy terrorism and obliterate it in all Syrian territory, and it doesn’t matter what kind of aid is given to these terror gangs,” it said, apparently referring to Islamic State.

The attack took place on the Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS) near the city of Hama, which is responsible for research and development of nuclear, biological, chemical and missile technology and weapons in Syria. The attack came as Israel is in the midst of the largest drill in almost 20 years that simulates a war between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite group Hizbullah.

“Israel said clearly that if we will see a strategic threat against Israel we will act,” Col. Kobi Marom, a research associate with the International Institute of Counter-terrorism (ICT) in Herzliya told The Media Line. “This is part of a message to Iran that if they try to build a missile industry to supply Hizbullah with missiles that can reach Tel Aviv that is a red line for Israel.”

He said the timing was also a way of showing Hizbullah and its patron Iran that Israel is far more prepared today than it was when Israel and Hizbullah last fought a war in 2006. Marom says the large-scale exercise is meant to show that Israel can fight simultaneously against both Syria and Lebanon if needed.

The Israeli attack came as Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, backed by Hizbullah and Russia, has scored impressive gains against both Islamic State and Syrian rebel groups. After six years of fighting it now seems as if Assad will remain in power, and that Islamic State will be defeated.

Marom says Israel is growing increasingly concerned that Iran will try to maintain a presence in southern Lebanon after any fighting ends.

“The Iranian strategy is to occupy more territory and try to build an advanced industry and develop missiles that can reach Tel Aviv,” Marom said. “That is a red line for Israel. I cannot imagine that Israel will allow the Iranians to deploy 25 miles from the Israeli border. That is a threat not only to Israel but to Jordan and others who care about the Iranian influence in the Middle East.”

The attack on the Syrian facility came a day after UN war crimes investigators said that Syrian forces used chemical weapons more than two dozen times during the country’s civil war. In one recent case, in Khan Sheikhoun in April, at least 80 civilians were killed.

The UN report were the most extensive findings to date from international investigations into the use of chemical weapons during the six years of fighting in Syria. The UN commission aslo found that a US air strike on a mosque in rural Aleppo that killed 38 people including children could be a violation of international law for failing to take precautions to avoid killing civilians.

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