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Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon on Sunday evening accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad 's government of routinely using unconventional weaponry against insurgents and civilians in the Syrian conflict, according to a statement issued by the minister's office.
"There are many events taking place in our region, especially the use of unconventional weaponry by an unconventional regime -- a move that caused the tragic death of hundreds of innocent civilians," Ya'alon said when meeting visiting French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, referring to an alleged chemical missile strike on the outskirts of Damascus on Wednesday.
Ya'alon said this was not the first time that the Assad government, backed by Iran and Lebanese militia Hezbollah, had resorted to weapons of mass destruction.
"(As far as they are concerned,) this has become a matter of routine," Ya'alon said, adding that Israel has drawn "red lines" with regard to the situation in Syria.
"We will not allow the transfer of quality weapons to Hezbollah and other terrorist groups, including chemical weapons, and we will respond to any violation of our sovereignty," he said.
Ya'alon said the Israeli government's position is that "We have to defend ourselves, by ourselves ultimately ... We don't expect foreign militaries to do it for us."
Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the alleged use of chemical weapons "must stop."
"What is happening in Syria is both a tragedy and a horrible crime. Our heart goes out to the women, children, babies and civilians who were attacked so cruelly with weapons of mass destruction," Netanyahu said at a weekly cabinet meeting.
The remarks came amid heightened tensions in the region, as four U.S. Navy missile cruisers were deployed to the eastern Mediterranean and Western governments overnight Saturday continued weighing possible military action in Syria, including a pinpoint strike aimed at "punishing" the Assad government, Israeli media reported Sunday.
The Assad government dismissed allegations that it used unconventional weaponry against civilians on Wednesday, accusing rebel groups of firing a chemical weapon as "a means of last resort" to prompt foreign military intervention in Syria's more than two-year-old conflict.
