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Journalism of Courage
Israels involvement in Syria could escalate the civil war into a regional conflict
Ever since the 2006 Second Lebanon War,Israel doesnt acknowledge,or deny,its precision military operations,carried out usually from air or sea. This two-pronged tactic of eliminating a threat without calling attention to itself had seen the destruction,allegedly by IDF warplanes,of what the UN suspected to be a North Korea-built nuclear reactor in eastern Syria in 2007. On Thursday night and early morning Sunday,the IDF reportedly carried out two strikes inside Syria. Reports said the targets were sophisticated weapons bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Bashar al-Assad regime,however,accused Israel of coordinating with the Syrian rebels,and claimed the Sunday attack was on the Jamraya scientific research institute outside Damascus a suspected chemical weapons research facility.
Notwithstanding these dangers,the risks of Israeli involvement in Syria are immense. It could escalate the civil war into a full fledged regional conflict if Hezbollah retaliates. That would be ironic,since the intent was to mitigate Hezbollahs capacity to strike. As it happens,the attacks have drawn wide regional disapproval. Time is running out for US President Barack Obama,who is perceived to be overcautious,to decide on the next course of action on Syria.
