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Syria Accuses and Hamas Denies

Updates on war and peace

by
Adam Chandler
January 30, 2013
(al-Arabiya)
(al-Arabiya)

In Daybreak, we linked to a story about an Israel airstrike on the border between Lebanon and Syria. This might explain why two Iron Dome batteries were placed in the northern part of the country earlier this week. Here’s what we’ve learned since.

“The target was a truck loaded with weapons, heading from Syria to Lebanon,” one Western diplomat told Reuters, adding that the convoy likely didn’t include chemical weapons.



Officials in the region told The Associated Press the shipment included Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles, which could pose a serious threat to the region’s balance of power if they fall in the hands of Iranian-backed Hezbollah.



A U.S. official told the AP the airstrike hit a convoy of trucks. Syria television said that Israeli warplanes had actually attacked a research center in Damascus province. The Israeli government declined to comment on the attack. A Lebanese security official, however, denied any strike in Lebanon, according to Reuters.

We also noted a piece by Haaretz, containing a report that Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal endorsed the two-state solution. Well, according to the Hamas website (h/t Challah Hu Akbar), that report has been denied.

Bad news all around. Happy hump day.

Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.