The reports go on to explain the ambivalent US reaction to the attack by noting, citing US intelligence sources, that President Obama had given Israel a “green light” to launch the attack ahead of time.

The building destroyed near Damascus, which the Syrian government confirmed, was reportedly a warehouse, and officials believed it included equipment related to deployment of chemical weapons, though not the weapons themselves. They also insisted that the attack on the convoy to Lebanon, which Syria has yet to confirm, was another of the attacks, and claimed “one to two additional targets” beyond those.

Officials discussing the matter cited Israeli and US concerns that weapons might be transferred out of Syrian government control into Lebanon, and added an ominous aside: that the United States is itself planning to attack targets in and around Aleppo if the rebels get too close to sites related to chemical weapons.

The Israeli strikes threaten to lead to a major escalation and regionalization of the war. One can only imagine that if the US follows through with attacks targeting both regime and rebels the matter will be dramatically more serious.