Syrian reactors in the desert are blown up by Israel. No big shocker as Israel tends to be a bit heavy handed when it comes to dealing with perceived threats. The question now is … why do we care? and why does the U.S. Congress think they should have been informed of another nation’s activities?
Rep. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said after a briefing Thursday that many lawmakers “believe that we were used today by the administration” and that the White House had belatedly informed Congress “because they had other agendas in mind.”
Hoekstra had pressed the administration for several months to brief lawmakers on the intelligence behind the strike at Al Kibar.
Of course there were other agendas in mind. The only reason this has been announced now is to put some form of pressure on Syria (as a “destabilizing force” in the region) as well as Iran. It definitely allows us to give Iran a taste of our intelligence collection capability in a matriarchal “look, I know what you’re doing. Don’t make me call your father” sort of way. Will it have any effect? Who’s to say? Really, as far as the Congress and Senate are concerned, if they needed to know … they would have been informed. Israel acted of their own accord. They’re big boys, they can do what they want with their toys.
My concern is what effect the decision to make this incident public may have on the talks between Syria and Israel regarding the possible return of the Golan Heights.
