IDF sources have reported that Syria has been arming and training
Hezbollah fighters in the use of advanced antiaircraft weapons in
recent months. Hundreds of fighters were taught to use surface-to-air
missiles in Syria and Iran. IDF officers are worried by two
developments involving Syria and Hezbollah that could change the
balance of power in the region: The transfer of huge quantities of
surface-to-air missiles; and the transfer of chemical and biological
weapons. Hezbollah's use of advanced antiaircraft missiles could
jeopardize Israeli aerial supremacy. According to past, unverified,
reports, Israel has considered on several occasions attacking convoys
of weaponry from Syria to Lebanon. An IDF source said that the Iranian
involvement in Lebanon has transformed from a "fingerprint" to "a huge
handprint."
