"The stories emerging from the less-gagged American media suggest two scenarios. The first is that Israel targeted Iranian supplies passing through Syria on their way to Hezbollah; the second that Israel struck at a fledgling Syrian nuclear plant where materials from North Korea were being offloaded, possibly as part of a joint nuclear effort by Damascus and Tehran.

"The nuclear claims against Damascus were discounted so quickly by experts of the region that Washington was soon downgrading the accusation to claims that Syria was only hiding the material on North Korea's behalf. But why would Syria, already hounded by Israel and the US, provide such a ready-made pretext for still harsher treatment? Why, equally, would North Korea undermine its hard-won disarmament deal with the US? And why, if Syria were covertly engaging in nuclear mischief, did it alert the world to the fact by revealing the Israeli air strike?

"The other justification was based in a more credible reality:"

I believe it was a feint to test the new Russian missile systems installed not only in Syria, but deployed right across Iran.

I agree this was the primary purpose.

It also was a moral boost for the IDF forces after their ground forces drubbing from Hizbollah last year. The IAF day will come when they'll drop from the sky like the IDF 'mighty' tanks were destroyed. This dry run flight may be their last 'get out of jail' card for these sky killers, so blowing a hole in an empty desert may be a joke on themselves.

What's this idea of Hizbollah having any sort of victory in the aggression that crippled Lebanon?

Israel has an undue influence over American policy. It's like our politicians live in a different world, some DC bubble where cash contributions is king.

We're in a kosher pickle, for sure.

BFK: Troop Out Now.
http://www.americancitizenstogether.org