Hezbollah operating Scud missiles from Syria, Netanyahu claims

 

	Scud missile in Iraq, March 30, 2006
	Photo by: AP

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday told his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi that Lebanese militants were operating long-range Scud missiles from bases inside Syria, according to Israeli media reports.

Netanyahu made the claims during a meeting of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris this weekend, Channel 2 news reported.

The prime minister's comments follow a report in the London Times on Friday claiming that new satellite images prove the existence of Hezbollah arms bases on Syrian soil. The bases are stocked with Syria-made weapons, including surface-to-surface missiles, the newspaper said.

According to The Times, the Hezbollah base was detected near the town of Adra, northeast of Damascus, adding that evidence indicated that militants have their own living quarters, armory, and a fleet of supply vehicles used to ferry weapons into Lebanon.

A security source told the British daily that Hezbollah was "allowed to operate this site freely", adding that they "often move the arms in bad weather when Israeli satellites are unable to track them".

Lebanon and Syria have recently said they fear a possible attack by Israel after President Shimon Peres accused Syria in April of supplying Hezbollah with the long-range Scud missiles, which are capable of hitting major Israeli cities. Damascus has repeatedly denied the charge and accused Israel of fomenting war.

Some U.S. officials have expressed doubt that any Scuds were actually handed over in full to Hezbollah, although they believe Syria might have transferred weapons parts.

"We obviously have grave concerns about the transfer of any missile capability to Hezbollah through Lebanon from Syria," a senior U.S. President Barack Obama administration official said last Friday, following a meeting between Obama and Lebanon Prime Minister Said Hariri.