... and yet, STATE "harshly rebukes" Syria today for possible shipments of ballistic missiles to Hezbollah...

I guess the credibility of Shimon Peres in this town is still 'impeccable'... Politico/ here

The U.S. harshly rebuked Syria today for possible shipments of ballistic missiles to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The U.S. summoned a Syrian diplomat, Deputy Chief of Mission Zouheir Jabbour, to the State Depatment Monday "to review Syria’s provocative behavior concerning the potential transfer of arms to Hizballah," State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said Monday.

"This was the fourth occasion on which these concerns have been raised to the Syrian Embassy in recent months, intended to further amplify our messages communicated to the Syrian government. Our dialogue with Syria on this issue has been frank and sustained. We expect the same in return."

The diplomatic rebuke came after reports said the U.S. believed Syria intended to transfer Scud missiles to Hezbollah, but isn't clear if the missiles were actually shipped to Lebanon.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the transfer of any arms, and especially ballistic missile systems such as the SCUD, from Syria to Hizballah," Duguid said. "The transfer of these arms can only have a destabilizing effect on the region, and would pose an immediate threat to both the security of Israel and the sovereignty of Lebanon.....The risk of miscalculation that could result from this type of escalation should make Syria reverse the ill-conceived policy it has pursued in providing arms to Hizballah,.....We call for an immediate cessation of any arms transfers to Hizballah and other terrorist organizations in the region,..... Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism is directly related to its support for terrorist groups, such as Hizbollah."