The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports the following headline today: Six Israeli F-16s fired 16 missiles at Damascus, Syrians intercepted 14 of them.
Apparently, by flying through Lebanese airspace, the Israeli government claims that the fighters were able to launch missiles striking Iranian targets near Damascus.
Setting aside, for the moment, the fact that Israel behaves as if it owns Lebanon, especially noteworthy is the fact that Syria’s defensive anti-
missile system was inhibited (thus, the two missiles that got away) by the presence of two civilian airliners sharing the same airspace.
According to a Russian spokesman, Israel appeared to have used the two civilian aircraft as airborne ‘human shields.’
If so, this would not be the first time Israeli military forces have been caught using human shields during combat operations. You may recall that the 2009 Goldstone Report uncovered incidents of Israeli soldiers using Palestinian civilians as human shields during Israel’s 2008 attack on Gaza, known as Operation Cast Lead.
Follow these links to catch up on this unfolding story: here, here, here.
