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Syria Test-Fires Scud Missiles NewsMax.com WiresJERUSALEM -- Syria test-fired Scud missiles late last week, reinforcing Israeli fears that Damascus is giving top priority to a program to outfit missiles with chemical weapons and launch them at Israel, Israeli military officials said. Israeli air defense systems detected the launch, they said. Israel and Syria have been enemies since Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. Story Continues Below The New York Times said one of the missiles broke up over Turkey, shedding debris over two villages. No one was hurt, the paper said on its Web site late Thursday. The Times quoted Israeli military officials as saying the tests happened on May 27 and were part of a Syrian program to develop missiles that can deliver chemical weapons. The missiles included one older Scud B, with a range of about 185 miles, and two Scud D's with a range of about 435 miles, the Times' site said late Thursday. All the missiles were launched from northern Syria, near Minakh, north of Aleppo, the Times said. One was sent about 250 miles to southernmost Syria, near the Jordanian border. The tests came as Lebanon held its first elections since Syria's grip on the country was shaken by the February assassination of the former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri, a vocal opponent of Syrian influence. Hariri's son, Saad Hariri, a 35-year-old political novice who took over his father's mantle in April, headed a ticket that won all 19 parliament seats up for grabs in the capital. The elections, which continue the next three Sundays in other regions, are widely expected to propel other anti-Syrian politicians to power in the 128-seat parliament. Hariri's death touched off protests and international pressure that forced Damascus to withdraw its army from Lebanon after 29 years of political and military dominance. The opposition has blamed Syria and its Lebanese allies in the security services for the assassination, a charge Damascus has denied. © 2005 The Associated Press
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