Israeli general warns of Syria's weapons

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JERUSALEM, June 11 (UPI) -- Israel fears Syria's chemical weapons and missiles may fall into terrorists' hands, a senior Israeli army general said.

"Syria has the largest chemical weapons arsenal in our neighborhood, therefore we must remain vigilant," said Maj. Gen Yair Naveh, the army's deputy chief.

The general warned that Syrian missiles are capable of targeting all of Israel, Maariv reported.

Naveh made the statements Sunday as reports out of Syria said rebels had taken control of a Syrian air force base near the city of Homs and had possession of a number of surface-to-air missiles, the daily said.

In recent months, Israel's top military echelon has expressed growing fears that the chemical weapons arsenal could fall into the hands of terror organizations operating inside Syria, the newspaper said.

Naveh also warned that the force displayed by President Bashar Assad's regime against Syrian citizens could easily be directed toward Israel.

"What the Syrians are doing to their people, they would do to us if they had the chance," he said.

Next week, the Israeli government is expected to discuss a proposal dealing with the mass evacuation of citizens in the event of a missile attack. The plan calls for the people in cities to be transferred to the south of the country, Ynetnews.com said.

Citizens from central and northern Israel would be housed in schools and other educational facilities, hotels and bed and breakfasts in the event of a national emergency, the Web site said. The plan also calls for temporary housing facilities, such as tents and mobile homes, the site said.

The plan would also apply to natural disasters.