THE UNITED States has not determined whether Syria has transferred Scud missiles to Lebanon’s Hizbullah, a US State Department spokesman said yesterday.
“We are still looking into it. We haven’t any particular judgment at this point as to whether any transfer has taken place but ... this is something that we have great concern about,” spokesman PJ Crowley told reporters.
The US summoned the senior Syrian diplomat in Washington on Monday to address what it called “provocative behaviour regarding the potential transfer of Scud missiles to Hizbullah, which it said could be a threat to Lebanon and Israel.
“The United States condemns in the strongest terms the transfer of any arms, and especially ballistic missile systems such as the Scud, from Syria to Hizbullah,” the US State Department statement said.
“The transfer of these arms can only have a destabilising effect on the region and would pose an immediate threat to both the security of Israel and the sovereignty of Lebanon.” – (Reuters)