Rebel factions in Syria told Israel’s Channel 2 television over the weekend that Israeli aircraft struck a battery of Russian-built S-300 air defense missiles in the Syrian port city of Latakia late Sunday. Although there has been no official confirmation of the strike, Israel has been accused of launching several similar strikes on strategic weapons it suspects are about to be transferred to the Lebanese Shi’ite terror militia Hezbiollah over the last three years of Syria’s civil war. Israeli officials have consistently denied that it is taking sides in the conflict, and is equally opposed to strategic weapons being transferred to Hezbollah by any belligerent faction. Meanwhile, observers noted a sharp uptick in fighting between forces of the Assad regime and various rebel factions in and around the capital city of Damascus over the weekend. Read More
