Israel would ‘have to act’ to secure arms if Syria falls

Israel would “have to act” if the Syrian regime collapses and there is a risk Syria’s chemical weapons and missiles could fall into the hands of militant groups, the Jewish state’s prime minister warned yesterday.

The declining situation of president Bashar Assad’s regime is stoking Israeli fears that militants allied with Lebanon’s Hezbollah group or al Qaida could raid Syrian military arsenals for chemical weapons or missiles that could strike Israel.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has not considered specifically trying to cross the border to seize the weapons. “There are other possibilities,” he said in an interview on Fox News.