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E-mail Xinhua, January 31, 2013
Israeli officials had informed their U.S. counterparts prior to the Israeli Air Forces' (IAF) attack on a target along the Syrian-Lebanese border Tuesday night, the New York Times reported Thursday.
According to the Western diplomats quoted in the report, the attack's target was a convoy carrying anti-aircraft weapons and Russian-made anti-aircraft SA17 missiles from Syria to the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group.
No official comment was made by the Israeli Defense Forces or any Israeli official.
On Wednesday, the Syrian army announced that Israel bombed a " scientific research center" northwest of Damascus. According to the Syrian army, two people were killed in the attack, five others were injured, and damages to the facility were reported.
The Syrian army's announcement denied that the target was a convoy delivering weapons.
The army's statement, cited by official SANA news agency, also charged that the IAF jets arrived from the north, "flying at a low altitude and below radars."
The announcement added that the site has been targeted by " armed terrorist groups," a term used to describe Syrian rebel groups, in recent months, and accused Israel of meddling in Syrian 's internal affairs.
"This proves that Israel is the instigator, beneficiary and sometimes executor of the terrorist acts targeting Syria and its people," the statement said.
Moreover, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials believed that two attacks were carried out by the IAF and hit a weapons convoy and a military facility.
According to Lebanese media, the alleged site of the second attack had chemical weapons manufactured there.
The last full-blown armed conflict between Israel and its northern neighbors took place in 2006, as Israel carried out a military operation against Hezbollah and its infrastructure in Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Lebanese media reported that Israeli fighter jets crossed over into Lebanese air space for several hours Tuesday night.
Earlier in the week, the Israeli army deployed Iron Dome anti- missile batteries in the north, amid the tension in the northern borders.
On Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned cabinet members of the risks of Syrian chemical weapons making their way to Hezbollah.
IAF commander Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel reiterated Tuesday Netanyahu 's sentiments. "Nobody has any idea what's going to happen in Syria," Eshel said, "This is happening in a place with a huge weapons arsenal, some of which are not conventional."
In 2007, a mysterious attack on a site deemed to be a nuclear reactor in Syria was attributed to Israel, which did not formally acknowledge any connection to it.
According to Israel Radio, despite the recent developments, no security measures were taken in northern Israeli cities and bomb shelters remain closed.
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