Asked to comment on reports of a second Israeli air strike against Syrian advanced weapons in three days, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary William Hague noted today that though he hadn’t seen confirmation of the incident, Israel has a straightforward obligation to defend itself:

“All countries have to look after their own national security, of course, and are able to take actions to protect their own national security,” Mr Hague told Sky News’s Murnaghan programme, adding that he was awaiting official confirmation of the strike.

Hague even more explicitly emphasized that “Israel will act to protect its national security. We do have to respect that.” The foreign secretary’s comments echo a strong statement of support from President Barack Obama in response to a question asked after Friday air strike.

London has been increasingly open in criticizing the West’s approach to the Syrian conflict. Last month Hague described the G8’s approach as a failure. British officials have been steadily moving towards lifting the arms embargo on opposition groups fighting to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad regime.

[Photo: The Telegraph]