Concern is mounting in Israel over the possibility that Hezbollah will
try to move sophisticated weaponry, including Scud missiles, from
Syria to Lebanon to protect them in the event of Syrian President
Bashar Assad's downfall. The concern stems from reports that Assad
might be losing control over certain military capabilities including
an air defense base which was captured by rebels earlier this week.
Syria is believed to have allocated a number of Scud D missiles to
Hezbollah as of 2010 but they have been stored in bases in Syria. The
understanding until now has been that the missiles would only be
transferred to Lebanon in the event of a war with Israel but not
before as to prevent a potential Israeli military strike. An Israeli
strike in Syria could provide Assad with the opportunity to use Israel
as a scapegoat and divert attention away from his violent crackdown.
