Israel trying to prevent smuggling of WMD to Hizballah: defense minister
Less than 12 hours after the bombing of Syria's Mezzeh military airport near Damascus on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel acts first and foremost to protect its citizens and its sovereignty. During a meeting in Tel Aviv with ambassadors from European Union member states, he said "We are trying to prevent the smuggling of sophisticated weaponry, military equipment and weapons of mass destruction from Syria to Hizballah." He emphasized that Israel is not involved in the Syrian civil war but said in his view the Iranians and Syrian President Bashar Assad cannot be part of any future arrangement for ending the conflict, and must leave the country.