Israel hits suspected chemical weapons sites in Syria

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Israel hit suspected chemical weapons sites in Syria with air strikes over the weekend, in a bid to destroy Assad regime capabilities before they fell into rebel hands, foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Monday.

Israeli warplanes have conducted numerous sorties against such “strategic weapons” since the rebel offensive in Syria began two weeks ago, said a person familiar with developments inside the country. Such capabilities “should not fall into the wrong hands,” the person added.

On Monday Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz directed the military to continue striking “throughout Syria” to destroy weaponry including “surface-to-air missiles, air defence systems, surface-to-surface missiles, cruise missiles, long-range rockets and land-to-sea missiles.”

Israeli tanks and infantry have also crossed the border on the occupied Golan Heights into Syrian territory, seizing a previously demilitarised buffer zone and other strategic positions abandoned by the Syrian military.

This is a developing story