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Israel warns Syria over Hezbollah attack
Israel threatened Syria with "military escalation" if Hezbollah attacks are not prevented, a day after a rocket and mortar attack by the Damascus-backed Lebanese militia wounded three soldiers. The strike on the disputed Shebaa Farms border area came the same day Israel reeled under political fire after its tanks killed four members of a Palestinian family on another front, the battle against a nearly two-year-old Palestinian uprising. An Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity that Israel would not stand "idly by" if Syria continued to ratchet up the tension in Lebanon, where it exerts considerable influence. That threat came on the heels of a statement by Defence Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer after his meeting Thursday with US Middle East envoy David Satterfield warning that "the Syrians and the Lebanese are playing with fire." The driver for Hezbollah is Iran, with Syria as the cheering squad. On the other hand, Syria's a lot more accessible from Israel, isn't it? Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2002-08-30 |
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