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IDF prepares for Syrian attack on Golan
Yaakov Katz, THE JERUSALEM POST    Apr. 27, 2007

The IDF on Thursday held intensive training maneuvers in preparation for a feared Syrian attack on the Golan Heights.

Hundreds of tanks and thousands of soldiers, backed by helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, massed in the Judean Desert to drill simulations of war. The training exercise focused on Brigade 401 and its utilization of Israel's most advanced tank - the Merkava Mark 4 - against the Syrian advanced Russian-made T-72.

Since the Second Lebanon War, Military Intelligence has claimed that war with Syria is now closer than ever, and the IDF is on heightened alert in the North in preparation for the possibility of a surprise attack.

President Bashar Assad, analysts have said, was empowered by Hizbullah's surprise success while fighting the IDF. The assessment is that he might be motivated to launch hostilities in an effort to retrieve the Golan Heights, either by initiating a surprise attack to capture one or two Israeli communities or by firing long-range ballistic missiles at the home front.

The assumption within the defense establishment is that while war with Syria would definitely be of a conventional nature, Damascus would most likely utilize its strong ballistic missile arsenal and its division of several thousand commandos.

Thursday's drill indicated that the IDF has not ruled out the possibility that a war would also entail tank battles, once believed to have been a relic of historic wars like the Six Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

The simulation began Thursday with the tanks gathering in an offensive posture on the outskirts of the battlefield. The first mission given to the armored forces was to create passageways and build makeshift bridges over deep ravines, similar to the valleys and rivers in the Golan Heights.

The tanks were backed up by artillery fire and supported by infantry troops, some traveling in armored personnel carriers and others being flown into the field by transport helicopters.

One of the interesting changes instituted in the exercise was the use of real IDF Merkava tanks to impersonate Syrian ones. In the past, the IDF refrained from using tanks to impersonate the enemy due to the high cost, making do with Hummer patrol vehicles. This time, the army apparently wanted the real thing.

"We are preparing for the possibility of war on all fronts," said Col. Roni Belkin, deputy commander of Division 162. "To do that, we need to find a solution for a wide range of scenarios."

In one of the possible scenarios envisaged by analysts, Syrian soldiers sweep across the Israeli side of the border, taking over the northern community of Merom Golan with an elite commando unit from the 14th Special Forces Division of the Syrian Armed Forces. Simultaneously, Syrian Chief of Staff Gen. Ali Habib gives the order and hundreds of T-72 tanks from the Damascus-based Republican Guard Mechanized Division - alongside thousands of commandos and infantry troops - begin deploying along the Syrian side of the border, ready for a broad offensive. The Syrian ballistic missile division goes into high alert and coordinates are set for the long-range Scud D, capable of hitting any target inside Israel.

On the Israeli side, in this scenario, Northern Command and Military Intelligence are taken by surprise. IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi quickly comes to his senses and orders the mobilization of the Armored Corps and Infantry Corps on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights. Full-fledged war seems about to erupt.

Not long ago, this kind of sequence would have seemed inconceivable, but since the Second Lebanon War it has turned into a genuine concern for the Israeli defense establishment.

The rising tensions between Israel and Syria were underlined last week when a top Syrian minister threatened to use military action to redeem the Golan Heights.

If war with Syria erupts, the IDF would also face a strong array of advanced antitank missiles, which Hizbullah successfully used last summer against IDF tanks.

During the last battle of the war - what has become known as the battle of the Saluki - Brigade 401 lost 12 soldiers to Hizbullah antitank missiles. The assumption is that this weapon would play a key role in war with Syria.

To deal with this threat, the IDF has announced plans to purchase, by the end of the year, several dozen "Trophy" protection systems developed by Rafael, which are capable of intercepting incoming antitank missiles.

According to Brig.-Gen. Halutzy Rudoy of the Armored Corps, the most significant aspect of the exercise was to learn how to effectively use the tank in the battlefield. During the Lebanon war, tank crews failed to activate smoke systems that can create tank cover as it maneuvers through enemy territory.

"The tank is still an excellent tool for achieving our goals in the battlefield," Rudoy said. "But you need to know how to use it."

IDF prepares for Syrian attack on Golan (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1177591143477&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Massive IDF war games simulate conflict with Syria
By israelinsider staff  April 27, 2007

he IDF this week carried out, in the Judean Desert, division-strength maneuvers in preparation for a possible conflict with Syria on the Golan Heights. Since last summer's war, there has been a heightened state of alert, and tensions in recent months have been rising. President Bashar Assad, some Israeli analysts say, was emboldened by Hizbullah's success against the IDF and may be tempted to launch hostilities in an attempt to retake the Golan Heights, either by initiating a surprise attack and firing long-range ballistic missiles at Israeli cities.

The division-strength war games, involving hundreds of tanks and thousands of soldiers, backed by helicopters and drones, took place in the Judean Desert. The training exercise featured Israel's most advanced tank - the Merkava Mark 4 - pitted against Syria's best armor, the Russian-made T-72 tank. The drill put to rest belief that the age of tank battles is gone forever, and raised the specter of a reprise of armored conflict such as that which pitted the IDF against Syrian forces in 1967 and 1973.

The simulation began Thursday with the tanks gathering in an offensive posture on the outskirts of the battlefield, the Jerusalem Post reported. The first mission given to the armored forces was to create passageways and build makeshift bridges over deep ravines, similar to the valleys and rivers in the Golan Heights.

The tanks were backed up by artillery fire and supported by infantry troops, some traveling in armored personnel carriers and others being flown into the field by transport helicopters, the Post said.

IDF Merkava tanks were used to emulate Syrian ones, a change from previous drills in which the army made de with Hummer patrol vehicles.

"We are preparing for the possibility of war on all fronts," said Col. Roni Belkin, deputy commander of Division 162. "To do that, we need to find a solution for a wide range of scenarios."

In one of the possible scenarios envisaged by analysts, the Post reported, Syrian soldiers would sweep across the Israeli side of the border, taking over the northern community of Merom Golan with an elite commando unit from the 14th Special Forces Division of the Syrian Armed Forces. Simultaneously, Syrian Chief of Staff Gen. Ali Habib would give the order and hundreds of T-72 tanks from the Damascus-based Republican Guard Mechanized Division -- alongside thousands of commandos and infantry troops -- would begin deploying along the Syrian side of the border. The Syrian would prepare to fire its long-range Scud D ballistic missiles, capable of hitting any target inside Israel and of being armed with chemical warheads.

This kind of scenario would pave the way for an apocalyptic showdown.

One of the IDF's prime concerns is the use of advanced antitank missiles, which Hizbullah successfully deployed to inflict punishing damage against IDF tanks, including the Merkava.

The IDF has since announced plans to acquire, before the end of the year, several dozen "Trophy" protection systems capable of intercepting incoming antitank missiles but also to more effectively deploy countermeasures like tank-generated smokescreens, which the Merkava can generate but that the IDF has rarely had occasion to deploy.

"The tank is still an excellent tool for achieving our goals in the battlefield," Rudoy told the Jerusalem Post. "But you need to know how to use it."

Massive IDF war games simulate conflict with Syria (http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Security/11258.htm)

Looks like it's going to be an interesting summer..........

Amos 1:3-5 Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Damascus [the capital of Syria] and for four [for multiplied delinquencies], I will not reverse the punishment of it or revoke My word concerning it, because they have threshed Gilead [east of the Jordan River] with iron sledges. 4 So I will send a fire [of war, conquest, and destruction] upon the house of Hazael [who killed and succeeded King Ben-hadad] which shall devour the palaces and strongholds of Ben-hadad. 5  I will break also the bar [of the gate] of Damascus and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven or On, and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden; and the people of Syria [conquered by the Assyrians] shall go into exile to Kir, says the Lord.

Isaiah 17:1 THE MOURNFUL, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Damascus [capital of Syria, and Israel's bulwark against Assyria]. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.

If Syria knew the true God, they would realize the futility of their actions.  It's so exciting to know the Word, and the awesome power of the one and only creator and finisher.