Israel bombs Syria with the airstrike Isareli warplanes carried out directed at a shipment of advanced surface-to-surface missiles from Iran, reports the New York Times. According to the Times, Israel believed the shipment was intended for the militant Lebanese organization Hezbollah, American officials said Saturday.

It was the second time in four months that Israel bombed a foreign territory with the intention of disrupting the pipeline of weapons from Iran to Hezbollah. The raid was a vivid example of how regional adversaries are looking after their own interests as Syria becomes more embroiled in chaos.

Iran and Hezbollah have both supported President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war, which is now in its third year and the fighting continues to escalate. As the fighting intensifies, they have a powerful stake in expediting the delivery of advanced weapons to Hezbollah in the event Mr. Assad loses is his grip on power.

Israel for its part, has repeatedly cautioned that it will not allow Hezbollah to receive “game changing” weapons that could be a threat to the Israeli heartland after a post-Assad government takes over.

As Washington considers how to handle evidence of chemical weapons used by the Syrian government, a development it has described as a “red line,” Israel is clearly showing that it will stand behind the red lines it sets.

Ehud Yaari, an Israel-based fellow of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy told the Times, “The Israelis are saying, ‘O.K., whichever way the civil war is going, we are going to keep our red lines, which are different from Obama’s."

The missiles that were targeted by the raid had been sent to Syria by Iran. They were being stored in a warehouse at Damascus International Airport when they were struck, according to an American official.

Two leading Israeli defense analyst said that military officials have told them that the targeted shipment included Scud Ds, which Syrians have developed from Russian weapons and have a range of up to 422 miles. The range is long enough to reach Eliat, in southernmost Israel, from Lebanon.

An American official, however, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the targeted shipment as Fateh-110s.

The Fateh-110 is a mobile, accurate, solid-fueled missile that represents a considerable improvement over the liquid-fueled Scud missile, according to sources. American officials have said it has the range and capability to strike Tel Aviv and much of Israel from southern Lebanon.