Jerusalem, Nov 17: The Israeli army's Chief of Staff General Moshe Yaalon has hinted that more action could be directed against Syria if it "ignores the message" of last month's air strike near Damascus, public radio reported today. "If Syria continues to ignore the messages that Israel and other countries have sent it, it may be necessary to send further messages of a different nature," Yaalon was quoted as saying during a speech at Tel Aviv University yesterday.
"As long as the headquarters of terrorist groups continue to operate out of Syria, Damascus will bear the responsibility for this."
The Chief of Staff also accused Damascus of allowing the Hezbollah militia to launch attacks against Israel from neighbouring Lebanon.
Tensions between the two countries were stoked by an October 5 Israeli air raid on a site close to Damascus which Israel said was being used as a training camp for Palestinian armed groups, an accusation strongly denied by Syria.
The Israeli army announced last Thursday that it had held large-scale manoeuvres on its borders with Lebanon and Syria as part of preparations for "a military escalation on the northern front".
Syrian foreign minister Faruq al-Shara warned on October 26 that Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights could be attacked if Israel launches another attack on its territory. Bureau Report