(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - In recent months Iran has moved to establish army bases and camps for the Shi'ite militias, whose activity it funds, around Syria. Iranian air force equipment has also been moved there, and Iran has been pressing the Assad regime to let it assume control of seaports and build airbases. Last September, a big military facility was bombed at Masyaf. Foreign reports said the facility had been a Syrian-Iranian assembly line making kits to improve the accuracy of missiles for Hizbullah. In December, a base Iran was building for Shi'ite militias in Al-Kiswah was bombed. The latest attack ascribed to Israel at the T-4 airbase exposed Iran's intentions. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is building an extensive, smart system in Syria, aimed against Israel. The nature of this activity is being kept secret from Russia. The series of attacks ascribed to Israel shows how exposed and penetratable the Iranian activity is. Tehran should assume that Israel has similar information about what Iran is doing in other bases and sites around Syria. Israeli military and political leaders say that if Tehran reacts now, this would lead to immediate escalation that could endanger Iran's entire project in Syria.
2018-04-12 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive