Israel ready for ‘any scenario’ regarding developments in Syria, official says

Israel is “paying close attention all the time to what is happening in Syria, and is ready for any scenario,” an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel after Syrian rebels take the city of Aleppo and push beyond.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a discussion on the rebel offensive on Friday, says the official, adding that there might be another this week.

The official says that in recent conversations with Russia, which backs the Syrian Assad regime militarily, Israel “made clear to them that it is in their interest to stop the movement of weapons through Syria to Lebanon, because it that happens, we will continue to attack Assad regime targets on the border, but also beyond.”

The conversations took place before last week’s offensive.

“We told them that if [weapons transfers] keep happening,” says the official, “we will attack Assad targets more intensely, and they have to take that into account so the Assad regime will survive.”