Israeli strikes on Syria could lead to larger war; 42 soldiers dead from Israeli strike (SCWU #342) - Ministry Videos

Date: May 7, 2013

By: Daniel Whyte III

Description: 1. According to Bloomberg News, Syria threatened retaliation against Israel after an aerial strike on the outskirts of Damascus caused explosions that rocked the capital, increasing the risk of a wider regional conflict. Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister told CNN that the airstrikes were a "declaration of war" and that the government would retaliate in its own time. The country's Information Minister said that Syria would use "any means" to protect its people. Syria has deployed rocket batteries directed toward Israel. In the meantime, Israel has reiterated that the strike was directed against Hezbollah, not the Syrian regime.

2. According to the Associated Press, a group of anti-regime activists citing information from military hospitals said Israel's weekend airstrike on a military complex near the Syrian capital of Damascus killed at least 42 Syrian soldiers. The Syrian government has not released a death toll, but Syrian state media have reported casualties in Sunday's pre-dawn airstrike, Israel's third strike inside Syria so far this year. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said about 150 soldiers are normally stationed in the area that was targeted, but that it was not clear how many were there at the time of the strike.

3. According to Defense Update, a new Pentagon assessment of Iran's military power maintains that in two years time, Iran could flight-test an intercontinental ballistic missile