Israel Again Strikes Syria

Israel has again struck Syria, this time in a series of airstrikes in and around Damascus last night that targeted a shipment of Iranian-made missiles Israel believed were headed Hezbollah's way. "In last night's attack, as in the previous one, what was attacked were stores of Fateh-110 missiles that were in transit from Iran to Hezbollah," an intelligence source tells Reuters. Syrian state news said that the Jamraya military and scientific research was hit; it added that there were casualties, but did not give a number. "Night turned into day," said a witness.

The presence of Fateh-110 missiles would be a "game-changer," according to a missile expert, because they would put almost all of Israel within striking distance. An Israeli source tells the AP that the strikes are an Israeli signal to Iran that "when they define red lines and they are crossed, (the Israelis) take it seriously." Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu made no reference to the strikes, and kept his public schedule in a move that Reuters says indicates little fear of reprisals. (More Israel stories.)