WORLD IN BRIEF : SYRIA : Damascus Reported Building Scud Plant

Syria has test-fired two advanced Scud-C ballistic missiles purchased from North Korea and is building a facility to manufacture them, Israeli officials said, expressing concern about a program that Syria began several years ago. The tests are said to have occurred about two weeks ago. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin disclosed them Wednesday at a background briefing in Washington that resulted in Israeli newspaper accounts Thursday--sparking a new round of worry about missile proliferation. The Scud-C missiles are said to have a longer range than the Scud-Bs, which were already in Syria’s arsenal, although they may not be as accurate.