Maintaining supremacy

Foreign news reports that Israel struck a convoy carrying SA-17 missiles from Syria to Lebanon, as well as reports, originating in Syria, claiming an additional strike on a "research institute," — are proof positive, from a diplomatic point of view, that the Second Lebanon War ended with a colossal defeat for Israel.

Just after the war, Ehud Olmert's government proudly touted the Security Council decision prohibiting the transfer of weapons from Syria to Hezbollah. Had there been any substance to the measure, airstrikes of this kind would have been rendered superfluous.

Security Council Resolution 1701 never held water, and the government that claimed it had brought quiet to the north ignored two facts: First, that even before the war in July 2006 there had been six years of quiet on the northern front. And second, that following the war, the trickle of weapons from east to west never stopped. Except that this time the missiles in question could change the balance of power in the air and on the sea, undermining the IDF's supremacy.

The reports only reached foreign news sources by Wednesday afternoon — suggesting that the regimes in Beirut and Damascus thought long and hard about whether to publicize such potentially embarrassing news. Perhaps Syria intended to overlook the attack and resume business as usual. But on Wednesday evening it was the Syrians themselves who exposed another alleged Israeli attack.

Israel's policy is not to allow Bashar al-Assad, Syrian rebels or Hezbollah to challenge the IDF's military supremacy, which for Israel is an absolute necessity. In this matter, at least, the world seems willing to accept Israel's position. The lesson learned from this alleged Israeli airstrike is that we will continue to carry out such operations in the future. In light of Syria's deterioration, we may see more such attacks in the near future — until that country regains stability.

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