Syrian atrocity the final straw? Israeli defense minister calls for international military intervention
Posted on May 27, 2012
May 27, 2012 – DAMASCUS - Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu condemned the recent massacre in Syria’s Houla, expressing “revulsion” and placing blame for the incident squarely on Syrian President Bashar Assad. Netanyahu joins a growing chorus of condemnation by world powers, including the United Nations, the United States, Russia, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union. Forces loyal to Assad killed at least 108 people and injured around 300, mostly women and children, on Friday in Houla in Homs province, according to the UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous. The event marks one of the biggest massacres of the 14-month uprising against his rule. Syrian authorities have denied carrying out the attack, instead blaming it on “terrorists.” “Prime Minister [Binyamin] Netanyahu expresses his revulsion over the ongoing massacre being perpetrated by the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad against innocent civilians, which continued over the weekend in Houla and included dozens of innocent children,” a press release stated. The UN has confirmed the use of heavy artillery in the attacks. Netanyahu also took the opportunity to condemn Iran and Hezbollah for their roles in the ongoing violence in Syria. “Iran and Hezbollah are an inseparable part of the Syrian atrocities and the world needs to act against them,” Netanyahu said. Defense Minister Ehud Barak called for international intervention in Syria, saying that the massacre in Houla was proof of why Israel needed a strong military to protect it when needed. “The massacre perpetrated by the Assad regime in Houla and the murder of children, women and elderly over the past year obligates the world to intervene,” Barak said. “The barbaric crimes that Assad’s regime commits and the support it enjoys from Iran and Hezbollah, obligate the world to act to stop it.” The UN Security Council announced it will meet on Sunday to discuss the Houla massacre, a sign of mounting outrage at the massacre which the government and rebels blamed on each other. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN-Arab League special envoy to Syria Kofi Annan, condemned the attack “in the strongest terms.” –Jerusalem Post