"Scud to Hezbollah" ... avoided

Nukes & Spooks/ here

So has Syria transferred medium-range Scud ballistic missiles to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant Shiite Muslim militia movement that holds posts in Lebanon's coalition government?

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Ehud Barak, were asked that question... The pair accused Syria and Iran of supplying Hezbollah with massive quantities of rockets and missiles. But both avoided using the word "Scud."

"Syria and Iran are providing Hezbollah with rockets and missiles of ever-increasing capability, ... We are at a point now where Hezbollah has far more rockets and missiles than most governments in the world and this is obviously destabilizing for the whole region and we are watching it very closely."....

Do Gates and Barak really not know if Hezbollah has Scuds? Or were they trying to tamp down regional tensions just as it appeared that the Obama administration had succeeded in persuading the Israelis and Palestinians to start indirect peace negotiations next week?

"We do not intend to provoke any kind of major collision in Lebanon or vis a vis Syria," said Barak.