Barak: Bringing advanced weapons into Lebanon is not allowed

         
Israel's defense minister made his country's first public comments Sunday on an airstrike in Syria, suggesting that Israel had been behind the attack.     

U.S. officials have said the attack hit a convoy of anti-aircraft weapons inside Syria bound for  Hezbollah but Israel hasn't publicly acknowledged the airstrike.     

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak brought the issue up at a gathering of the world's top diplomats and defense officials in Germany, initially saying:  "I cannot add anything to what you have read in the newspapers about what happened in Syria several days ago."     

But, addressing the audience in English, he then added: "I keep telling frankly that we said  and that's proof when we said something we mean it we say that we don't think it should be allowed to bring advanced weapons systems into Lebanon [Hezbollah]."       

The Syrian military said the target of Israeli jets was a scientific research center. The facility is in the area of Jamraya, northwest of Damascus.     

Purported images of the targeted site, aired by Syrian state television on Saturday, show destroyed cars, trucks and military vehicles. A building has broken widows and damaged interiors, but no major structural damage.     


AP