Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel’s intelligence community has been tracking any transfer of Syrian chemical weapons to neighboring Iraq or Lebanon.

Officials said the intelligence community was monitoring the Syrian CW sector for any transfer to Iranian proxies. They said the Israeli military would not allow any CW supply to Hizbullah.

“Israel has good capabilities, and has drawn a red line over the transfer of chemical weapons to terrorist organizations, including Hizbullah,” Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said.

On Sept. 14, Steinitz, who coordinates with the intelligence community, refused to confirm reports by Sunni rebels that President Bashar Assad ordered the transfer of CW assets to Iraq and Lebanon. The Free Syrian Army said Assad was “preparing to transfer” CW to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, with a presence throughout the region.

“The regime is waiting for technical circumstances,” FSA spokesman Louay Meqdad said.

Israeli parliamentarian Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said the intelligence community has not determined any Syrian CW transfer to Iraq. Like most Israeli officials, Lieberman cast doubts over whether Syria would honor the U.S.-Russian agreement to surrender its CW stockpile.

On Sept. 14, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held talks with Israeli leaders on the CW agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the success of the Syrian accord would influence any resolution to the nuclear crisis with Iran.

“The determination the international community shows regarding Syria will have a direct impact on the Syrian regime’s patron, Iran,” Netanyahu said. “Iran must understand the consequences of its continual defiance of the international community, by its pursuit towards nuclear weapons.”

Officials said the intelligence community has warned that Assad and Iran could be emboldened by the U.S.-Russian agreement. They said Assad believed that Washington canceled plans for any major air campaign on Damascus and could renew preparations for a war against Israel.

“In any case, Israel must be prepared and ready to defend itself by itself against any threat,” Netanyahu said. “Today, this ability and this willingness are more important than ever.”

  Avigdor Lieberman, Bashar Assad, Benjamin Netanyahu, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Israel’s ‘red line’: Intel tracking reports Syrian chemical weapons were transferred, John Kerry, Yuval Steinitz