Beirut, April 27: Israeli charges that Syria is sending Scud missiles to its Lebanese ally Hezbollah aims to divert attention from stalled Middle East peace talks, a senior Lebanese official said on Monday.
The allegations are “an attempt to divert attention from the main issue which is Israel’s refusal to resume peace efforts, either through its settlement projects in East Jerusalem or through the Scuds issue,” the official, who is close to Prime Minister Saad Hariri, said.
His statement came amid Israeli claims that Damascus was secretly sending Hezbollah the missiles, which have a range of roughly 300 kilometres (180 miles).
Hariri has upped contacts with Arab and European leaders, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, to discuss the need to “confront Israeli threats against Lebanon and Syria as Israel refuses to move forward with negotiations with the Palestinians,” his office said in a statement Monday.
Hariri also met US Deputy Security Adviser for Homeland Security John Brennan in Beirut on Monday, the statement said without elaborating.
Earlier this month, Israeli President Shimon Peres accused Syria of supplying Hezbollah with the Scuds, a charge Damascus has denied.
Washington has stopped short of openly accusing Damascus of supplying the group with the missiles, but has said Syria has provided the group with a “wider array” of weaponry.
The Scud allegations come as the US administration has boosted relations with Syria, and US lawmakers have seized on the issue to argue against greater rapprochement.
—Agencies