
Israel has warned Syrian President Bashar Assad that any  missile attack against Israel by Hizbullah would result in retaliation against  Syria, the Sunday Times reported on Sunday.
According to the UK  paper, Israel’s missive – sent earlier in April – defined Hizbullah as a  “division of the Syrian army,” a military branch of Damascus in Lebanon.  
The warning was reportedly delivered to Damascus by a third  party.
Meanwhile on Sunday, Al-Hayat reported that Hizbullah  minister Nawaf al-Moussawi had said Israel's accusations against Syria were only  a ploy meant to divert attention from its failure to relaunch peace talks with  the Palestinians.
Last week, the Kuwait-based Al-Rai reported that  Syria had transferred Scud missiles to Hizbullah.  According  to the report, the missiles were recently transferred to Lebanon, prompting a  stern Israeli warning that it would consider attacking both Syrian and Lebanese  targets in response.
Scud ballistic missiles have a longer range than the  rockets previously used by Hizbullah against Israel, and can carry chemical  warheads. 
On  Thursday, the Kuwaiti paper reported that Hizbullah had confirmed receiving a shipment of  Scud missiles from Syria. "It's only natural for Lebanon to have the means to  defend itself against an Israeli attack," Hizbullah official Hussein Haj Hassan  told Al-Manar TV on Friday.
The Syrian leadership has consistently denied  the charge.
On Saturday, Reuters quoted US officials as saying that while  the "intent" to transfer ballistic missiles to Hizbullah existed, it  was doubtful such a transfer had actually taken place.
Concern over  flaring tensions between rival factions in Syria’s small Mediterranean neighbor,  along with the threat of a renewed civil war, has caused Hizbullah in recent  years to tone down its Iranian-aided and Syrian-backed paramilitary activity in  favor of expanding its involvement in internal Lebanese politics.