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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Syrian President Bashar Assad
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| By Israel Insider staff October 2, 2007 |
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The Israeli Defense Forces for the first time repealed the government's oath of silence regarding the Israel Air Force's air strike against a target deep in Syrian territory on September 6th, an act that dominated the headlines in the local press.
The unusually severe IDF censor had prevented Israeli media from reporting on the foray into Syrian skies unless the news was taken from foreign sources, and prohibited politicians from confirming or denying the operation.
The government lifted censorship following Syrian President Bashar Assad's admission of the strike on BBC, saying that Israel's air raid on northern Syria showed Israel's "visceral antipathy towards peace," according to excerpts posted on the BBC's Web site, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu broke the vow of silence over a week ago, commending Olmert on the successful operation. His remarks drew condemnation from the prime minister?s office.
According to reports, Israel struck nascent nuclear facilities in northern Syria, which were developed with the alleged help of North Korea. Syrian officials have vehemently denied the charges, insisting that the site was an agricultural research center.
"Some sources in the United States have spread rumors and fabricated news in order to justify this act of aggression," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem charged. "By distorting the facts they have become Israel's accomplices in this act of aggression."
North Korean officials have also called the charges "ridiculous," claiming that Israel invented the story as an excuse to exercise aggression against its neighbor.
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