IDF sources say Syria testing missiles to show international community what Assad regime is capable of.
By OREN KESSLERScud B missile 311(photo credit: REUTERS)
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.Click for full JPost coverage
