Damascus is increasing shipments of advanced missiles and other weapons to Hezbollah amid continuing unrest in Syria,
The Times of London reported Friday quoting Western intelligence officials.
The officials said Syria provided Hezbollah with eight Scud D missiles that have a range of 700 kilometers.
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missiles "are accurate to within tens of meters and bring all of
Israel, Jordan and large parts of Turkey within Hezbollah's range," the
officials were quoted by the newspaper as saying.
They also said
that, "This is the first time that a terror organization has obtained a
missile of this type," which is considered a "strategic weapon" that
"has been held only by national armies."
The Times
also quoted an Israeli intelligence official who said Syria "was
engaged in a serious arms build-up," adding that the weapons transfers
started after the revolution began in Egypt.
The report comes after the French paper
Le Figaro
reported last month that a
stash of Lebanese weapons destined for
Hezbollah was hidden and distributed in densely-populated urban areas
including the southern Syrian city of Homs and cities just outside
Damascus.
In May, Western intelligence agencies expressed concern
that Hezbollah might try to transfer the advanced weaponry it reportedly
maintains on Syrian soil if it feels that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s
reign is on the verge of ending.
Last year, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu revealed in a meeting with
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that Hezbollah was storing Scud
missiles in military bases in Syria.