Israel bombed a Syrian radar station in Lebanon early on Monday, dramatically raising the military stakes in the Middle East and drawing a vow from Damascus to defend itself.

The overnight raid about 22 miles east of Beirut, killed three Syrian soldiers and wounded six in what was a retaliatory strike for Hizbollah rocket attacks on Israel from Lebanon. It was the first Israeli attack on a Syrian position in Lebanon since April 1996.

There were warnings the bombing could lead to wider conflict and Israel's defense minister said the rules of the game had changed in Lebanon from which Israel withdrew nearly a year ago.

The bombing cast a shadow over talks in Jerusalem of Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdulilah al-Khatib who is making the highest level visit by an Arab official since Israeli-Palestinian peace talks stalled last July.
The raid, which Israel said was a message to Syrian leaders to stop supporting Hizbollah guerrillas in their fight against the Jewish state, also put in doubt a U.S.-hosted meeting later on Monday between Israeli and Palestinian security chiefs. Israel Army spokesman Brigadier General Ron Kitrey said the message to Syria was: "Enough."

In its first official comment, Syria said the attack was a "dangerous escalation" that would destabilize the region.

"Syria considers the aggression as a challenge to the will of the Arab nation...Syria holds Israel responsible for this dangerous escalation and reserves its right to defend itself against any aggression," an official spokesman said in a statement received by Reuters.
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, after a telephone call with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said the raid "revealed anew the blood-colored policies" of Israeli right-wing prime minister Ariel Sharon.
"These policies will only lead to comprehensive confrontation," a presidency statement quoted Lahoud as saying. Bureau Report