The US lodged a complaint against Syria for providing "advanced ballistic missiles and other weaponry" to Hizbullah, shortly after Syrian President Bashar Assad denied doing so, according to documents released by WikiLeaks on Tuesday.
"We are concerned about Syria's provision of increasingly sophisticated weapons to Hizbullah," US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton wrote in a February 2010 diplomatic cable classified as "secret."
RELATED:WikiLeaks releases US list of potential terror targetsWikiLeaks: Iran financed Hizbullah fiber optics networkAnalysis: Notes from an undeclared cold warWikiLeaks reveals plans for North Korean collapse"In our meetings last week it was stated that Syria is not transferring any 'new' missiles to Lebanese Hizbullah," Clinton wrote. Assad also said that "Syria could not be Israel's policeman."
In that meeting, the US expressed concern that Hizbullah had been given Fateh-110 missiles, which can reach Tel Aviv. A US government official told
The New York Times last week that these missiles are highly accurate and especially threatening.
"We are aware, however, of current Syrian efforts to supply Hizbullah with ballistic missiles," Clinton explained. These missiles include Scud-D missiles, based on North Korean technology. "I must stress that...we strongly caution [Syria] against such a serious escalation."
Leaked cables from 2009 also reveal that North Korea has provided
missile technology to Iran and Syria and supported Hamas and Hizbullah,
using Chinese banks "as the main access point into the international
financial system."
Clinton also wrote in to Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad
in February that she is "concerned that Hizbullah is still planning an
operation to avenge the death of Imad Mughniyeh," but added that,
although Hizbullah seeks "a renewal of the 2006 conflict, it does not
seem to be in Syria's interest" to do so.
Clinton warned that "Iran and Hizbullah both have interests that are not
in Syria's own strategic interest," adding that Syria's "operational
support for Hizbullah is a strategic miscalculation."
On the following day, the Secretary of State told diplomats to raise the
issue of Syria's weapons transfers in Arab capitals, specifically Saudi
Arabia, Jordan and Qatar. She also discussed her concerns with Britain,
France and Turkey, all of which "pledged to raise their concern with
Syrian officials."
Clinton explained that "the Syrian leadership views military support to
Hizbullah as integral to Syria's security and as a bargaining chip in
its negotiations with Israel over the return of the Golan Heights, as
well as a possible stick to bring the Israelis back to the table."