CNN: Israel targeted arms delivery on Syrian soil destined for Hezbollah

Israel targeted weapons intended for delivery to Hezbollah inside Syria a week ago, the CNN television network reported yesterday.

Senior correspondent Christian Amanpour, citing Middle Eastern and Washington sources, said aircraft and ground forces, which directed the planes to their target, took part in the operation.

The attack left "a big hole in the desert," the report said.

CNN quoted American sources as saying that the air strike had targeted a weapons shipment from Syria to Hezbollah, or from Iran to Hezbollah, passing through Syria.

"The Israeli government is very happy with the success of the operation," CNN reported, citing sources both in the United States and the region.

U.S. government and military sources said they were "happy to have Israel convey to both Syria and Iran the message that they can get in and out and strike when necessary."

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's aides said they were not interested in commenting on the incident.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who is visiting Israel, asked, half jokingly, "what happened in Syria?" at his meeting with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

Livni smiled and asked to change the subject.

Later at a joint press conference Kouchner said he did not believe there was tension between Israel and Syria.

Syria yesterday complained to the United Nations about "aggression and violation of sovereignty," the country's ambassador to the UN said.

Syria's UN envoy, Bashar al-Jaafari, said Damascus made its complaint in two letters to the UN secretary general and the president of the Security Council. The letters said the Israel Air Force action violated the 1974 disengagement agreement that was reached after the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Al-Jaafari said Israel had violated Syrian air space and dropped munitions. But he denied that Israel had landed troops on the ground inside Syria.

"This is absolutely not true," he said, adding the reports were an attempt to show that Israel could land troops wherever it wants.

CNN was the first major news outlet to report on the Israeli attack in Syria. In recent days reports of what happened were carried mainly in the Arab press or came from Syrian statements.

Last Thursday afternoon a Syrian military spokesman said that Israeli warplanes had entered Syria's airspace via the Mediterranean Sea and fled under fire from anti-tank missiles.

The Syrians reported that the Israeli planes dropped munitions in open areas.

Later, Turkish media reported that the Israeli F-15 planes had also dropped fuel tanks close to the Turkish-Syrian border.

The TV network Al-Arabiya reported that Israel had targeted Russian missile batteries on the Syrian coast.

European diplomats quoted Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem as saying Monday that the IAF warplanes that violated Syria's airspace fired missiles at targets on the ground, but did not cause any damage.

Muallem said the Syrian anti-aircraft radar system detected the planes when they were deep inside Syrian territory. He added the planes released their missiles very shortly after they were detected.

Despite the CNN reports and the Syrian statements, many questions remain, first and formost, what was the precise target of the strike the Syrians allege.

The silence of the Untied States, Europe and especially the Arab world also raises questions. Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia did not denounce Israel, nor did they issue any statement on the subject.

The only countries who expressed solidarity with Syria were Iran and North Korea. Russia issued a condemnation of sorts.

Turkey issued a critical statement and requested clarifications. In Ankara's case, however, its close strategic cooperation with Israel makes it unlikely the Turks were really surprised by the incident.