Washington: US President Barack Obama`s administration has warned that "all options" are on the table if Syria supplied Scud missiles to Hezbollah but defended its pursuit of dialogue with Damascus.
Israel believes that Syria has supplied Hezbollah with the ballistic missiles, which could dramatically increase the Lebanese Shi’ite militia`s ability to attack the Jewish state.
Jeffrey Feltman, the Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle East, said on Wednesday the United States would have "really, really serious concern" if Syria had delivered such high-grade weapons to Hezbollah.
"If these reports turn out to be true, we`re going to have to review the full range of tools that are available for us in order to make Syria reverse what would be an incendiary, provocative action," Feltman said.
"The United States has shown in the past that we are able to act," he told a congressional hearing. "I expect that all options are going to be on the table looking at this."
But Feltman and other officials said they were still investigating the alleged Scud missile transfer.
"We continue to study the matter," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Tuesday there was a "high likelihood" that Hezbollah had obtained Scuds.
Israel launched punishing raids on Lebanon in 2006 in response to more than 4,000 attacks by Hezbollah with rockets that are less sophisticated than Scuds.
The 34-day war killed 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mainly soldiers.
The Scud allegations come just as the United States steps up dialogue with Syria.
Bureau Report
