Israelis say Syria giving Scud missiles to Hezbollah

JERUSALEM - Israeli defense officials said Wednesday that they believe Hezbollah has Scud missiles that could hit all of Israel, a day after Israel's president accused Syria of supplying the Lebanese guerrillas with the weapons for the first time.

Israeli officials say the introduction of Scuds could alter the strategic balance with Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia that battled Israel to a stalemate during a monthlong war in 2006.

President Shimon Peres, speaking in Paris, accused Syria of playing a double game, talking about peace, while "it is delivering Scuds to Hezbollah to threaten Israel," according to a statement from his office.

The Syrian Embassy in Washington dismissed the allegations and accused Israel of trying to divert attention from questions about Israel's nuclear program. Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear arms, though it does not confirm or deny this.

"If we are to discuss armament in our region, we should begin with Israel's massive nuclear weapons arsenal and continuous arming with top-caliber U.S. weapons, which helps perpetuate its occupation of our territories," said embassy spokesman Ahmed Salkini. "The timing also indicates a sinister attempt to undermine any U.S.-Syrian rapprochement."

At the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs said, "We are obviously increasingly concerned about the sophisticated weaponry that is allegedly being transferred. We have expressed our concerns to those governments and believe that steps should be taken to reduce any risk and any danger."

Some Scud missiles have a range of hundreds of miles and could reach any target in Israel if fired from Lebanon. They can carry an explosive warhead of up to 1 ton.

The Israeli defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a classified intelligence assessment, stopped short of stating unequivocally that Scuds are now deployed in Lebanon.

They said tensions had risen along Israel's border with Lebanon after media reports that Hezbollah was seeking the missiles, and they believed Hezbollah now has them.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged the public to remain calm, but said that "the introduction of systems that disturb the balance endanger stability and calm."

Israel charges that most of Hezbollah's weapons, including rockets, come through neighboring Syria, which is a main sponsor of Hezbollah, along with Iran. But Peres' statement was the first time Israel has publicly accused Damascus of providing Scuds.

President Obama is interested in restoring U.S. relations with Syria, frozen after charges from the previous administration that Damascus was aiding anti-American forces in neighboring Iraq.

During the 2006 war, Hezbollah pelted Israel with nearly 4,000 unguided Katyusha rockets, causing widespread damage and dozens of casualties in Israel's north. Scud missiles have several times the range and explosive firepower of Katyusha rockets and would pose a much more serious threat.

Boaz Ganor, an expert from Herzliya's Interdisciplinary Center, said Scud missiles in the hands of Hezbollah could be a game-changer. "It's not clear that in the hands of Hezbollah it will be administered rationally," he said.