Much has been made of the Israeli attack on Syria last week. Speculation on Israeli concern for weapons of mass destruction in Syria falling into the hands of Hezbollah (see for example Time Magazine at: http://world.time.com/...) was one excuse another was the presence of a convoy of supposed anti-aircraft surface to air units moving toward the Lebanese border was another (this can be seen in a story from the AP elaborated on by Fox News at: http://www.foxnews.com/...).
The reason for the attack given the latter excuse is undermined by the ease with which the Israeli jets destroyed their targets and eluded any response from the Syrians. The logic of the former argument is undermined by the fact that it would be difficult to explain the release of such agents on innocent civilians down wind of the attack should any Sarin or other gas be released or nuclear products, etc. Had the wind been blowing toward Israel this would have been a disaster both ways, but the fact that no release has been reported is clear evidence that this was not the purpose of the raid. See various reports by Lebanese military figures and Israeli analysts in the John Reed and Abigail Fielding-Smith article in the Financial Times, February 1st, 2013, "Threat of Reprisal by Damascus Discounted).
Rather we can find the most logical reason in the recent Israeli elections and the centrist surge against Netanyahu's continued saber rattling in the face of a collapsing economy. Yair Lapid and the Yesh Atid ("There is a Future" party) have made serious inroads in the election results. Israelis and fed up with the dismal economic conditions, corruption in the government and rising criminal activity. Netanyahu knows only war as a means of gaining support and is bankrupt politically. With the resignation of the head of the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fisher, chaos is growing in financial circles. One can only hope that Israelis continue to see through Netanyahu and his ilk.