A Syrian army test of cutting- edge missiles on Saturday was aimed at showing
the international community what the beleaguered Assad regime is capable of,
Israeli military sources said Sunday.
Saturday’s test in northeastern Syria included 300-kilometer range Scud B missiles fired towards the Iraqi border.
RELATED:Turkey slaps sanctions on Syria'Post-Assad Syria would drop special Iran ties'IDF sources said the show of strength,
broadcast live on Syrian TV, was not necessarily intended to intimidate Israel,
but rather any Western powers contemplating military intervention in
Syria.
Western countries have been reluctant to speak openly about a
Libya-style intervention in Syria, but the mounting death toll has led
some policymakers to consider more drastic measures to stem the
bloodshed.
Government forces and militiamen loyal to Assad killed at least 30
civilians and five defectors on Sunday, mostly in Homs, Syria's third
largest city, according to tallies by several activists' organizations.
"Not a single opposition neighborhood was spared today. Troops either
entered districts and raided houses, fired from roadblocks or tanks and
pickup trucks hit houses and shops with machine guns," said Abu Zeinab,
an activist in the city.
Syrian authorities say they are fighting foreign-backed "terrorist
groups" trying to spark civil war who have killed some 1,100 soldiers
and police since March.
