Report: Israel "planning strike on Hezbollah sites in Syria"

wise to weaken the military capabilities of Hezbollah (and of Hamas) ahead of such an attack: these two organizations would be instructed by their mentor, Iran, to unleash their weapons on Israel in retaliation for the latter’s attack on Iran. An attack on Hezbollah, and on its weaker sister organization, Hamas, should thus be seen as part of the preparatory work before an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities

A Kuwaiti newspaper reported Saturday that Israel is planning to strike Hezbollah weapons storage and production facilities in Syria. The report in the daily Alrai quoted unnamed Western sources as saying that Israel has bolstered its troop presence in the Golan Heights and the Galilee panhandle. It also quoted European sources who said Israel had sent UAVs over Syria and Lebanon, which they called a sign that Israel is planning a military operation in one or both of its northern neighbors.

The paper said Israel is particularly focused on facilities where Hezbollah stores long-range rockets, some of which are deep in Syrian territory. It also cited unnamed sources who predicted that unlike Syria’s muted response to the 2007 strike on a nuclear reactor on its soil — which foreign media said was by Israel — this time the country would respond far more forcefully and quickly.

The Syrian Army, the paper reported, is at a heightened state of readiness, having deployed anti-aircraft missiles along the Israeli border and in other key strategic areas in the country.

Haaretz’s Jack Khoury writes that Alrai was the first newspaper to report Syria had transferred Scud missiles to Hezbollah five months ago.

The Lebanese newspaper al Liwaa reported Friday that the assistant to U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell had met with the chief of staff of the Lebanese Army earlier this month and warned him of the implications of failing to achieve stability on the Israel-Lebanon border.

The paper said the U.S. official, Frederick Hoff, spoke to the army chief in general terms about what he called an Israeli plan to destroy the Lebanese Army’s infrastructure — including command centers and military bases — in just four hours should further clashes break out. Hoff urged the army chief, Jean Kahwaji, to show restraint in the event of a renewed confrontation.

The Lebanese Army announced Friday that an Israeli military balloon had been spotted above the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek and in the adjacent mountainous region.

Khoury quotes the UN special envoy to Lebanon, Michael Williams, to say this weekend that one of the issues on the agenda for a coming Security Council meeting would be the Israeli-Lebanese border clash earlier this month. Williams said the UN views the border incident “seriously,” and would do everything possible to avoid similar incidents in the future.

The renewal of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force’s mandate reportedly also will be discussed at the Security Council meeting.