Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 May 2013
13. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the bombing of targets in Damascus, Syria on 5 May 2013 by Israel’s air force; if he is concerned about this military attack and the possible consequences; and if he has discussed the issue with his European counterparts. [23219/13]
View answerI would refer the Deputy to my reply to the earlier Priority Question on this topic. Further to that reply, I would add that Israel has not confirmed it was involved in an attack on a target or targets in Syria, but this is widely believed. While we do not have a full and precise account, reports suggest, as they did in relation to an earlier episode in January, that a convoy delivering advanced weapons including missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon was attacked. The missiles were said to have been supplied originally by Iran. A Syrian army base on the outskirts of Damascus seems also to have been hit: this is said to have been a staging or storage area for Hezbollah weapons, and may also have had a role in chemical weapons research or production for Syria.
There are reports, from serious sources but again unconfirmed, that Israel has passed a message to Syria that it is not intervening in the Syrian conflict, but acting solely to prevent weapons reaching Hezbollah. Significant numbers of Hezbollah fighters are in turn reported fighting on the side of the Assad regime in Syria.
The growing complexity and danger of escalation of these events to engulf the wider region is clear, and I would expect that this will feature in discussion at the Foreign Affairs Council on 27 May which I will attend.
