Israel reportedly warned Syria last week that it would step up attacks against Hezbollah and Hamas.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, during a visit to Ankara last week, asked his Turkish interlocutors to urge Syria to scale back its ties with Hezbollah, the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat reported Thursday.
According to the report, Barak made clear that Israel had the Lebanese guerrilla group in its sights and also planned to widen military operations in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Barak’s trip to Turkey coincided with the assassination in Damascus of Imad Mughniyeh, Hezbollah’s
terrorist chief. Hezbollah blamed Israel, though Israel denied involvement.
Barak had declined to comment on the killing. Though he confirmed that he had discussed Hezbollah and Hamas with his Turkish hosts, Barak did not elaborate on what, if any, messages had been passed along.
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