Syrian missiles in Israeli cities "a matter of time": Israeli minister

JERUSALEM, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Syrian missile strikes on major urban centers in Israel are "just a matter of time," Israel's Home Front Defense Minister Gilad Erdan said Tuesday ahead of a national civil defense drill scheduled for next week.

"It is no longer a question of whether missiles will be fired toward dense population centers, but when. My answer is that it doesn't really matter. It can happen tonight or next week. The flare-ups along our borders do not solely depend on the Israeli army or its wishes," Erdan told reporters hours after Israeli and Syrian forces exchanged fire in the central Israeli occupied Golan Heights overnight Monday.

In an interview later in the day with Army Radio, Erdan said the Iron Dome missile defense system would not be able to intercept all the projectiles that would be fired toward Israel in the event of a war with Syria and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

"It's obvious that central Israel will also be hit in the next conflict," Erdan said.

Last week, local media outlets widely cited a recent report drafted by the Home Front Defense Ministry, which determines that Israel is ill-prepared to shield its civilian population from an unconventional terror attack.

"As of today, the preparedness of government offices and authorities against the threat of unconventional weapons is medium- low ... while the threat of an unconventional terror attack unfolding has also risen," said the report.

"... The main concern focuses on chemical and biological weapons reservoirs in Syria. Loss of control of the regime would bring these materials to a variety of terrorist groups already active in the region," the report said. It underscored that Israel is critically short on gas masks after all of the current stockpile is distributed.

In response to the report, Erdan said the administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "understands well" the difference between conventional weapons and unconventional weapons.

"Syria won't dare turn its chemical weapons against Israel ... we have very strong response capabilities," he said.

Israel and the West have been accusing the Syrian troops of possessing chemical weapons and using them against civilians, while Damascus denied the claims and blamed the rebels for causing deaths by such weapons.