Syria, Iran Threaten Israel With Retaliation For Strike

Syria, Iran Threaten Israel With Retaliation For Strike.

Is any of this helping the situation to make peace? On Thursday Syria has threaten to retaliate against Israeli airstrikes and its ally Iran. The Jewish state sent a letter to the U.N. Secretary General stressing the “right to defend itself, its territory and sovereignty” and hold Israel as well as its supporters accountable. Why is the U.S. getting involved when as a country we are still struggling to support our own people and our own military? U.S. officials confirmed Israel launched a rare airstrike inside Syria Wednesday explaining the target was a convoy allegedly carrying anti-aircraft weapons going to Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group allied with Syria and Iran. A Israeli lawmaker close to the Prime Minister hinted that further missions may happen in the future and hinted at his involvement in the strike. This attack and others have only caused further tension in the region over Syria’s 22 month old civil war. The days leading up to the attack Israeli leaders fear that Syrian President Bashar Assad is losing control of the country and its weapons arsenal convention and non-conventional. The convoy targeted in the attack had anti-aircraft missiles that if acquired by Hezbollah would allow them to shoot down Israeli jets, helicopters and surveillance drones. The Syrian military denies these claims saying the low flying Israeli jets crossed into their country to bomb a scientific research center. Maj. Gen. Abdul-Aziz Jassem al-Shallal a senior Syrian army officer, who defected and now in Turkey, confirmed the site that was targeted is a well known center for weapons development called the Scientific Research Center and no chemical or non-conventional weapons are at the site. The Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon has threatened retribution for the airstrike saying Damascus has the options and capacity for surprise. At the U.N. headquarters in New York, deputy U.N. spokesman said the UNDOF did not observe any planes so could not confirm the incident. Hezbollah as well as Iran has pledged their allegiance to Syria as well as retaliation. Russia has also said they will look into the situation as the attack appears unprovoked on a sovereign nation. Hezbollah gets a majority of its funding and arms from Syria who has had their power drained by Syria’s civil war.