US Officials: Israel’s Airstrikes Targeted Iranian Missiles
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File photo. iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — U.S. officials say that the target of Israel’s weekend air strikes in Syria were up to a dozen Iranian Fateh-110 missiles that may have been headed to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A U.S. official says up to a dozen of the mobile launched missiles were targeted and destroyed in the two attacks conducted by Israeli warplanes on Thursday and Saturday nights. Saturday night’s attacks targeted three locations that housed the mobile missiles which it is believed were intended for Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iran and Hezbollah have both backed President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war. It is believed Iran is shipping the advanced Fateh-100 missiles to Hezbollah in case Assad loses power and the loss of Iran’s arms pipeline to Hezbollah. Israel wants to prevent Hezbollah from gaining these weapons which have a range that could reach Tel Aviv from southern Lebanon.
U.S. officials said Israel had not provided advance warning to the United States of both the attacks carried out this week.
In late January, Israel conducted a similar airstrike outside Damascus targeting a convoy of antiaircraft missiles believed headed to Hezbollah.
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