Israel Admits to Syria Air Strike

Israel has confirmed that it carried out a strike on a Syrian military installation last month. Syria accused Israel at the time but Israeli officials refused to comment, and the Israeli military censor imposed a strict blackout on information. The censor's office has now allowed some details to be released. On Monday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told the BBC that a Syrian military construction site was hit in the Israeli air strike on September 6. Israeli Army radio reported that Israeli planes attacked a military target "deep inside Syria", quoting the military censor. No further details were given.

U.S. Clear Evidence of Arms Smuggling

The United States said there was clear evidence of arms smuggling across the Syrian border to terrorist groups in Lebanon, and accused Iran and Syria of playing a negative role in the country. The U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations, made the accusation after a closed Security Council meeting to discuss progress on a U.N. resolution that ended last summer's war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas backed by Syria and Iran. That resolution banned weapon transfers to Hezbollah. Syria's U.N. Ambassador dismissed the allegations.

Israel Confirms Third-party Contacts with Syria

Israel and Syria have been in contact through third parties for a while, but the mediators have been unable to get the two sides to resume peace talks. In a speech, Syrian President Bashar Assad, said a third country recently offered to serve as a mediator with Israel. The country which he did not identify has mediated in the past, but there was nothing serious and clear. In Damascus, Syrian lawmaker Mohammad Habash, said negotiations could not take place until the Israelis commit to leave the Golan Heights, a condition also posed by Assad during his speech. Israel captured the strategic plateau in the 1967 Mideast war.