WarSclerotic

Israel has “good capabilities” when it comes to tracking potential attempts by the Syrian regime to transfer its chemical weapons to other agents, such as terrorist organizations, Minister of International Relations, Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz told Army Radio on Sunday.

Steinitz was speaking a day after US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister announced a framework agreement to dispose of Syria’s chemical weapons.

Asked whether Israel would see if Syrian President Bashar Assad attempts to hide his chemical weapons by transferring them to allies in Lebanon or Iraq, Steinitz said, “Israel has good capabilities, and has drawn a red line over the transfer of chemical weapons to terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah.”

Steinitz refrained from “giving a grade” to the Obama administration over its deal with Russia to oversee the chemical disarmament of Syria, but did say that arrangement has “advantages and disadvantages.”

“The advantage is that it’s a very thorough agreement,” the minister said, but added that the disadvantage lay in the agreement’s extended time frame, which, Steinitz said, could allow “many things to happen.”

He raised the possibility that a rebel group could use chemical weapons and give Assad the excuse to cancel the agreement.

“Even if Assad gives up chemical weapons he used to execute 1,400 people, this doesn’t excuse him from punishment,” Steinitz said, saying it made little sense to pardon a murderer just because “he has turned over his gun.”

Asked whether Israel would now come under pressure to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Steinitz declined to answer, but said that the scenes in Syria underline the fact that Israel must rely on itself, “not the UN, not the US – with all due respect – and not NATO.”

Steinitz said it was unclear how the Iranians would interpret developments in Syria. “Assad, their ally, does have to give up chemical weapons and their production. I don’t know how this will be interpreted in Iran.”

He warned, however that every new day sees additional centrifuges added to Iran’s uranium enrichment policies. “Iranian nuclear weapons are seven times, 77 times more dangerous than Syrian chemical weapons,” he said.