Bashar Assad�s chemical weapon stockpile could fall into the hands of Syrian rebels, which would threaten Israeli national security, Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh warned.

�Syria�s chemical arsenal is the world�s largest, and it possesses missiles that can target the entirety of Israel�s territory,� Naveh said Sunday at a memorial event in Jerusalem honoring soldiers who fell in the Lebanon War.

The IDF �must not cease vigilance,� he said, lest such weapons fall into the hands of terrorist organizations operating in Syria, such as al-Qaeda or Hezbollah.

Naveh�s statements regarding chemical weapons and missiles came shortly after Syrian rebels reportedly commandeered a Syrian air force base near the city of Homs and took possession of a number of surface-to-air missile batteries.

The deputy chief of staff cautioned that the brutality displayed in Syria by the Assad regime against its own citizens could easily be directed toward Israel. �What the Syrians are doing to their people, they would do to us if they had a chance,� he said.

Naveh also noted Iran�s close ties with Syria and Hezbollah, saying that they �are accomplices of Iran, who stands behind them.�

Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also described the situation in Syria as �a massacre of civilians, including of children and the elderly, being carried out by the Syrian government with the backing of Iran and Hezbollah.�

(Source: Times Of Israel)