Airstrikes on Syria: Israel Acts While US and Europe Fret About Intelligence

Intelligence leaks attributed to Washington are a growing concern for the Israeli government

The skies over two Syrian cities darkened with the smoke of Israeli airstrikes Wednesday evening. The bombing runs on sites in Damascus and outside Latakia were the sixth  time this year that Israel was reported to reach into Syria to destroy weapons systems it believed were headed for Hizballah. The reported targets Wednesday were the kind of advanced anti-aircraft batteries that, if deployed by the Shiite militia, would impede Israel’s ability to do exactly what it had just done: reach over its borders to remove a perceived threat “over the horizon.”

But if the military operation went off without an apparent hitch, the mission overall was less than a complete success.  Israel’s determination to strike discreetly, a key element in the battle plan, was undone by leaks, the most credible of which, on CNN, was attributed to U.S. officials. That report infuriated the Israeli security establishment, whose outrage brimmed over in the  Friday morning Hebrew press.  “What on earth are the Americans thinking when they finger Israel as responsible for the strikes in Syria?” Alex Fishmen asked in a Yedioth Ahronoth commentary with “Sold Us Out” as the headline. “Past experience suggests that we shared information with them on our operational activity so as to prevent embarrassment and surprise, but Washington is selling our secrets on the cheap.” A separate story on the same page said the CNN report was “causing officials in Jerusalem to tear out their hair.”

The Israelis had reason for concern.  Though Israel clearly wants the freedom to prevent Syria’s government from sharing advanced weapons with Hizballah, the Jewish State tries to do it without being drawn into Syria’s civil war. And Syrian president Bashar Assad, who has his hands full with poorly armed rebels, has scant incentive to involve the most powerful military in the Middle East.  That’s surely why in the hours after the explosions, neither party – neither Assad nor Israel – even acknowledged that things had blown up in Damascus and outside Latakia.

The silence served both sides. If either government spoke publicly of the strikes, Assad would be obliged to strike back

Read more: Israeli Airstrikes on Syria Also Signal Real Value of Intelligence | TIME.com http://world.time.com/2013/11/01/airstrikes-on-syria-israel-acts-while-us-and-europe-fret-about-intelligence/#ixzz2jUVZuVny