BEIRUT – Israel launched a rare airstrike inside Syria, U.S. officials said Wednesday, targeting a convoy believed to contain antiaircraft weapons bound for Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
The attack — the first since 2007 — adds a potentially flammable new element to tensions already heightened by Syria’s civil war. It was the latest salvo in Israel’s long-running effort to disrupt the Shiite militia’s quest to build an arsenal capable of defending against Israel’s air force and spreading destruction inside the Jewish state.
Regional security officials said the strike, which occurred overnight Tuesday, targeted a site near the Lebanese border, while a Syrian army statement said it destroyed a military research center northwest of the capital, Damascus. They appeared to be referring to the same incident.
U.S. officials said the target was a truck convoy that Israel believed was carrying sophisticated antiaircraft weapons bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the operation.
Regional officials said the shipment included sophisticated Russian-made SA-17 antiaircraft missiles, which if acquired by Hezbollah would be “game-changing,” enabling the militants to shoot down Israeli jets, helicopters and surveillance drones. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
In a statement, the Syrian military denied the existence of any such shipment and said a scientific research facility outside Damascus was hit by the Israeli warplanes.
An emergency United Nations appeal to raise $1.5 billion in humanitarian aid for Syria exceeded its goal Wednesday at a conference where attendees gave dire predictions of rising civilian costs and Jordan’s king said the refugee crunch has pushed his nation’s resources to the breaking point.
“We are sending a message to Syrians: ‘You are not alone,’ ” said U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon even as he described Syria as caught in a “death spiral” and the conditions for many civilians a “living hell.”
Wealthy Persian Gulf nations — traditionally on the sidelines as major donors to U.N. aid efforts — took the lead in the latest drive with at least $900 million offered in a sign of their expanding political profile since the Arab Spring and their role as critical regional backers of the Syrian rebels.
But the success of swiftly pulling together the funds was tempered by reminders that the aid is expected to cover the relief costs only until summer, highlighting the massive burden to cope with needs from Syria’s civil war and its spillover in a region where refugees are sometimes pouring into camps at the rate of 3,000 a day. The concern was evident from Ban even as he lauded the current outpouring, noting that more nations will be asked to give and others may have to dig deeper as the Syrian crisis grows.
The current pledges also will likely face close scrutiny on how quickly the money will reach over-stretched aid groups directed by the U.N. and other agencies. Officials in Egypt and elsewhere have complained that many generous international offers for help after the Arab Spring upheavals have not yet materialized.
Another serious challenge is trying to gain access to civilians in rebel-held territory, aid officials said. The U.N. and other international groups must operate out of the Syrian capital, Damascus, and can be left struggling to arrange convoys through battle lines and making contacts with opposition groups.
Jordan has spent more than $833 million on aid for refugees — accounting for nearly half of the estimated 700,000 people who have fled Syria so far — and said it was unable to sustain a financial burden that has so far siphoned off about 3 percent of its GDP.
Some U.N. officials say the refugee figures could approach 1 million later this year if the conflict in Syria does not ease.