Israel: Hezbollah preparing for aftermath of Assad fall by amassing Iranian weapons

Israel's military intelligence chief said warned on Tuesday that Hezbollah is preparing for the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar Assad's fall by amassing Iranian weapons.  

Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi estimated Hezbollah now possesses 70,000 to 80,000 missiles and rockets capable of striking Israel up to six times the number the militant group possessed during a month-long war that ended in stalemate in 2006.

During the civil war in neighboring Syria, Lebanon's Hezbollah has been supporting the Assad regime, which Israel says has boosted Hezbollah over the years by allowing shipment of Iranian arms through Syrian territory to the Lebanese guerrillas. 

Separately, Kochavi warned that global jihadists have moved into Syrian territory bordering the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and could soon use the area to stage attacks on the Jewish state.  

Kochavi told a parliamentary committee that the Islamic militants have taken advantage of the chaos created by the Syrian civil war to approach the Golan area.  
He said Assad has pulled troops out of the Golan to fight rebels in other parts of the country, after concluding that the likelihood of war with Israel at this time is low.       

The intelligence chief told lawmakers that a power vacuum has created a possible arena for anti-Israel operations, like Egypt's Sinai desert.       

"The Golan area is liable to become an arena of operations against Israel in much the same way the Sinai is today, and that's a result of the increasing entrenchment of Global Jihad in Syria," he said. "Global Jihad" is the term that Israel uses for al-Qaeda and other violent groups affiliated or influenced by the global terror network.       

His comments were relayed by a participant in the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed.  

Israel, which captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Mideast war, has closely monitored the civil war in Syria. While Israel has been careful not to get involved, Israel fears that Assad's formidable arsenal of missiles and chemical weapons could slip into the hands of Hezbollah or other militant groups.       

Kochavi, repeating the assessment of other Israeli officials, judged Assad's days to be numbered, but he did not estimate how long he would be able to cling to power. 

AP