While both the Arab League and the Iranian regime have condemned reported Israeli strikes on Syrian military assets, British Foreign Secretary William Hague has indicated that London is “not going to give any condemnation of Israel or rush into any criticism.” Reports emerged earlier this week that Israel had struck either a weapons convoy carrying advanced SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles to Hezbollah, or a Syrian military installation linked to Syria’s nonconventional weapons program, or both. Israeli officials have long emphasized Jerusalem’s “red line” regarding the Syrian nonconventional arsenal, under which Israel would seek to block terrorist acquisition of the country’s chemical and biological weapons. Scenarios for such a transfer include deliberate delivery of the weapons to Syrian allies such as Hezbollah as well as capture of Syrian arms caches by increasingly Islamist-dominated opposition groups. The support of Britain and like-minded nations is likely to carry substantial weight opposite the criticisms of the Arab League and Iran, inasmuch as the criticism may seem hollow after two years of Arab states and Tehran injecting funds and arms into the Syrian conflict.

[Photo: Chatham House / Flickr ]