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Israeli-Russian Coordination in Syria
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Nadav Pollak - Last month saw numerous reports about Israeli airstrikes in Syria targeting Hizbullah arms transfers to Lebanon. These included an Oct. 30 attack on a ballistic missile facility near al-Qutayfah run by the Syrian army, a Nov. 11 strike close to Damascus International Airport, and strikes on Nov. 23 that killed eight Hizbullah fighters and five Syrian soldiers in the Qalamoun area. On Dec. 1, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, "We operate in Syria from time to time to prevent it turning into another front against us. We act, of course, to prevent the transfer of deadly weaponry from Syria to Lebanon." The reported Israeli strikes suggest that the Russian presence in Syria has not significantly limited Israel's ability to target Iranian arms shipments to Hizbullah.