Israel name-checked a notorious WWII attack to justify sinking Syria's navy

Israel's prime minister justified its attack on Syrian missile corvettes and other remnants of the Assad regime's military by invoking a pre-emptive strike during World War II.

AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images

• Israel invoked a WWII precedent in trying to justify its pre-emptive strikes in Syria.
• During WWII, the Royal Navy attacked the fleet of its former ally to keep it from Nazi control.
• Both operations were borne in atmospheres of fear and crisis.

When...