Concern is mounting in Israel over the possibility that Hezbollah will<br />try to move sophisticated weaponry, including Scud missiles, from<br />Syria to Lebanon to protect them in the event of Syrian President<br />Bashar Assad's downfall. The concern stems from reports that Assad<br />might be losing control over certain military capabilities including<br />an air defense base which was captured by rebels earlier this week.<br />Syria is believed to have allocated a number of Scud D missiles to<br />Hezbollah as of 2010 but they have been stored in bases in Syria. The<br />understanding until now has been that the missiles would only be<br />transferred to Lebanon in the event of a war with Israel but not<br />before as to prevent a potential Israeli military strike. An Israeli<br />strike in Syria could provide Assad with the opportunity to use Israel<br />as a scapegoat and divert attention away from his violent crackdown.
