SYRIA: ATTACK ON MILITARY FACILITY WAS A 'DECLARATION OF WAR' BY ISRAEL

Syria: Attack on military facility was a 'declaration of war' by Israel

By Frederik Pleitgen and Sara Sidner, CNN

May 5, 2013 -- Updated 1847 GMT (0247 HKT)

Syrian official: Israel will suffer

Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- A series of massive explosions illuminated the dark sky over Damascus early Sunday, igniting renewed claims that Israel has launched attacks into the war-torn country.

A top Syrian official told CNN in an exclusive interview that the attack was a "declaration of war" by Israel. Syria's government said the target was a military research facility outside Damascus.

Syrian authorities vowed to retaliate against Israel but did not specify what action they would take.

The Israeli military would not confirm or deny the Syrian claim that Israel fired rockets that hit the Jamraya research center in the Damascus suburbs.
Powerful explosions rock Damascus suburb

"We do not comment on these reports at all," an Israeli military representative said.

Syrian state-run TV claimed that the Israeli rocket attack on the research center aided rebels, who have been battling government forces in the region. But state media reports did not provide details about what type of research occurs in the center, or how much damage occurred in Sunday's attacks.

Even with details about the explosion unclear, tensions ran high in the volatile region Sunday amid word of the reported attack.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al Mekdad said the attack represented an alliance between Islamic terrorists and Israel.

"When they attack, this is a declaration of war. This is not something that is (new)," al Mekdad said. "We dealt with this on several occasions, and we retaliated the way we wanted, and the retaliation was always painful to Israel, and they will suffer again."

After an emergency meeting of Syria's Cabinet on Sunday, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said on state television that the attack "opens the door wide open for all possibilities" but did not specify what those possibilities would be.

Missile defense system a game changer, Israelis say

An Israeli Army official told CNN that two rocket interception batteries have been deployed to northern Israel.

And the Israeli Airport Authority said Sunday that it had closed northern airspace over the country to civil aviation flights.

Attack comes days after reports of another Israeli airstrike

Sunday's reported attack comes days after U.S. officials told CNN that Israel conducted an airstrike against Syria and more than three months after Syrian officials accused the Israeli military of attacking the same research facility.

Two U.S. officials told CNN on Friday that Israel apparently launched an airstrike into Syria on Thursday or Friday. Based on initial information, the United States does not believe Israeli warplanes entered Syrian airspace to conduct the strike.

The Israeli military did not comment on the U.S. claim of an airstrike. But Israel has long said it would target any transfer of weapons to Hezbollah or other terrorist groups, as well as at any effort to smuggle Syrian weapons into Lebanon that could threaten Israel.

"We are watching everything when it comes to the movement of these types of weapons. We have the means to do that," a senior Israeli defense official told CNN's Sara Sidner on Sunday. The official is not authorized to speak to the media.

Shaul Mofaz, a lawmaker in Israel's Knesset, told Israeli Army Radio on Sunday that Israel isn't meddling with Syria's civil war. But Israel must protect itself from Lebanese militants, he said.

"For Israel, it is very important that the front group for Iran, which is in Lebanon, needs to be stopped," Mofaz said.

"Everything that goes into the hands of Hezbollah is not directly related to the rebels. Israel never interfered in the past or today in their actions. Nevertheless, I need to say that Hezbollah is deeply involved up to its neck in what is happening in Syria. Hezbollah helps the Iranians navigate against the rebels."

Hezbollah did not immediately comment after Sunday's claims.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman condemned the attack Sunday, claiming that Israel had used Lebanese airspace to strike Syria.

The president said he was "not surprised at Israel's onslaught against Syria," Lebanon's National News Agency reported.

Syria: Israel has targeted the defense facility before

In January, reports surfaced that Israeli warplanes targeted the Jamraya research facility. The Syrian government has said that airstrike killed two workers and injured five others.

A U.S. official told CNN at the time that the Syrian claims were false. The official said Israeli fighter jets targeted a Syrian government convoy carrying surface-to-air missiles bound for Hezbollah. But Syria denied there were such shipments.

On Sunday, al Mekdad said details were unclear about what he described as the latest Israeli strike on Syria.

"Until now, the details are not clear on what happened. Did they fire missiles? ... It is not clear for me, because I don't know how it happened, and of course it is worrying, but Israel will suffer the same," the Syrian deputy foreign minister told CNN. "When their agents in Syria were defeated, they are trying to influence from the outside. This is exactly what happened. This is direct Israeli support for al Qaeda ... and the other forces fighting against Syria, to undermine Syria and to weaken Syria."

But an opposition group also condemned what it described as Israeli attacks on the research facility, arguing that the violence shows the weakness of President Bashar al-Assad's government.

"It is clear that the regime, which claims to be an opposing force, is instead weakening Syria in the face of an enemy," the opposition Syrian National Coalition said in a statement.

Lebanon reports Israeli warplanes overhead

Claims of Israeli foreign presence were not limited to Syria; the Lebanese army said Israel flew warplanes over Lebanon on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

A report from the Lebanese government news agency accused Israeli warplanes of violating Lebanese airspace three times on Sunday morning, executing "circular flights over various Lebanese regions."

Suleiman condemned the violations as "an attempt to shaken Lebanese stability," the state-run National News Agency reported Saturday.

The Israeli military had no comment on the Lebanese claim. But an Israeli defense source said, "We will do whatever is necessary to stop the transfer of weapons from Syria to terrorist organizations. We have done it in the past, and we will do it if necessary the future."

Sectarian violence continues

The latest report of rocket attacks comes as sectarian violence erupted in northwestern Syria. Three consecutive days of killing by mostly Alawite forces have left hundreds of predominantly Sunni residents dead, opposition groups said Saturday.

State media have said their forces were seeking only to clear the area of "terrorists," the term they have routinely used when referring to rebel forces.

But the U.S. State Department said it was "appalled by horrific reports that more than 100 people were killed May 2" in Beyda, a suburb of Baniyas.

Several opposition groups said largely Alawite regime forces used tanks, battleships and missile launchers to target largely Sunni neighborhoods in and around the coastal city of Baniyas.

Government forces killed at least 200 people on Friday and Saturday in Baniyas and its suburbs, the opposition Local Coordination Committees said Saturday.

But reliable information has been difficult to obtain because government forces controlled access to the village, the LCC said.

A graphic video posted by activists who said it was shot in the Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood showed people, including an infant, lying lifeless on the ground. Many bore what appeared to be bullet wounds, and some appeared burned.

CNN has not been able to confirm the video's authenticity, as access to Syrian war zones has been severely limited by the government.

State-run Syrian TV reported that government troops and the National Defense militia, an armed Alawite group loyal to the government, "have cleaned the area from armed terrorists" after "they burned civilians' homes and terrorized the population." The report was supported by interviews with members of the Syrian army.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday that he did not foresee a scenario of "American boots on the ground in Syria" that would be good for that country or the region. Obama said other leaders in the region want to see President Bashar al-Assad out of power.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reported from Damascus; Sara Sidner reported from Jerusalem. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom, Amir Ahmed, Holly Yan, Barbara Starr and Saad Abedine contributed to this report