Report: U.S. Believes Israel Has Conducted An Airstrike Into Syria

[HuffingtonPost]

(Adds Israeli ministers' meeting, edits)                

WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - Israel has conducted an  airstrike in Syria, apparently targeting a building, a U.S.  official said on Friday.                

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined  to elaborate. CNN quoted two unnamed U.S. officials as saying  Israel most likely conducted the strike "in the Thursday-Friday  time frame" and that Israel's warplanes did not enter Syrian  airspace.                

CNN said the officials did not believe Israel had targeted a  chemical weapons facility. CBS News cited U.S. sources as saying  Israel targeted a warehouse.                

An Israeli military spokeswoman in Jerusalem declined to  comment.                

But one source told Reuters that Prime Minister Benjamin  Netanyahu had on Thursday night convened his security cabinet in  Jerusalem for secret talks - often a sign of imminent action.  The source, who would not be identified by name or nationality,  did not elaborate on what was discussed at the meeting.                

A spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington said: "We  cannot comment on these reports, but what we can say is that  Israel is determined to prevent the transfer of chemical weapons  or other game-changing weaponry by the Syrian regime to  terrorists, especially to Hezbollah in Lebanon." Hezbollah  fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006.                

There was no other official confirmation of the strike.                

Syrian U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told Reuters: "I'm  not aware of any attack right now."                

A White House spokeswoman referred questions on the CNN  report to the Israeli government. The Pentagon declined comment.                

The CNN report said that during the time frame of the  attack, the United States had collected information showing  Israeli warplanes flying over Lebanon.                

In January this year, Israel bombed a convoy in Syria,   apparently hitting weapons destined for Hezbollah, according to  diplomats, Syrian rebels and security sources in the region.      (Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton, Arshad Mohammed and  Phil Stewart in Washington, and Dan Williams in Jerusalem and  Lou Charbonneau at the United Nations, Writing by Sandra Maler;  Editing by Peter Cooney)

Via: HuffingtonPost