Israeli Jets Buzz Assad Palace

There has been considerable comment on the fact that Israeli jets flew low over the palace of President Bashar al-Assad in Latakiya early on June 28. No damage was caused by the proximity.

Syrian TV said that Israeli jets flew over the coastline of Syria and were chased away by the Syrian Air Defense System.

This escalation was because Khaled Mishaal, a member of the collective Hamas leadership, is based in Damascus.

Independent observers are concerned at signals sent by the inverted disparity between Israel's reaction to an attack on a civillian target (e.g. a suicide bombing) and its current respone given that this target was purely military.