Israel won't distribute gas masks

TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is being criticized for not ordering the distribution of gas masks to protect civilians against chemical weapons.

Barak said handing out gas masks might give Syria the impression Israel is preparing for war, The Jerusalem Post reported Monday.

Israeli intelligence reports say Syria has built up an arsenal of missiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv and killing thousands, The newspaper reported.

Yuval Steinitz, a member of Parliament who heads the Knesset Subcommittee on the Home Front's Preparedness, said gas masks could repel biological and chemical weapons from the missiles, The Post reported.

Steinitz said Barak’s reason for not distributing gas masks reminded him of Israel’s decision not to call up reserve soldiers so as not to upset Syria on the eve of the Yom Kippur War.