ISRAEL’S PRESIDENT, Shimon Peres, set the proverbial cat among the pigeons this week with his sensational assertion, subsequently confirmed anonymously by US intelligence officials, that Hizbullah, the Lebanese Shia militia, has obtained Scud tactical ballistic missiles from Syria.
Denials from Damascus and Beirut have been quick in coming and will be quickly discounted. From an Israeli perspective the balance of terror in the Middle East just tipped dangerously. And that spells more problems for Barack Obama’s Middle East peace efforts.
“Syria claims it wants peace while simultaneously delivering Scud missiles to Hizbullah, which is constantly threatening the security of Israel,” Mr Peres said.
He accused Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, of playing a “double game”, talking about peace while arming Israel’s enemies.
It is not known what type of Scud rocket has allegedly been supplied. Even the older Scud C has a reach of 375 miles, which might put all of Israel’s main cities and its Dimona nuclear facility within range. The Scud C carries one tonne of explosives, while the more advanced Scud D is accurate to within a few hundred yards.
“Scuds are weapons in a league of their own. This will be the first time that any terrorist-guerrilla group can boast of possessing ballistic missiles of the kind that usually comprise the arsenals of organised armies,” said security specialists Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, writing in Haaretz.
Although the reported sale is described in some quarters as a “game-changer” in terms of Israel’s defence, Mr Harel and Mr Issacharoff suggest the weapons would be used only as a last resort; and that Israel’s Arrow anti-missile system has proven capability in shooting down Scuds.
The political implications of this development are potentially more significant. In Israel, perceptions of increased Syrian hostility may revive long simmering bilateral tensions. – (Guardian service)