Israel and Syria - Several news items that look towards Isaiah 17

[Shammu]

'Chances of war with Syria still high'
Yaakov Katz , THE JERUSALEM POST    Sep. 23, 2007

The IDF continued to maintain a high level of alert along the northern border on Sunday as senior defense officials told The Jerusalem Post that while close to three weeks have passed since Israel's alleged air strike in Syria, there is still a chance war could break out.

Reflecting the escalation in tension, IDF troops were alerted to the northern border fence Sunday morning after the electronic alarm was activated, sparking fears of a possible infiltration from Syria. The army said the alarm went off after the fence was touched, and that tracks were spotted on the Syrian side of the border. Soldiers who arrived on the scene ruled out an infiltration, and the IDF said it was possible that a roving animal had triggered the alarm.

Sunday's incident followed the scrambling of two fighter jets on Saturday to the northern border after a Syrian military jet that was being tracked by Israel disappeared from military radar systems. A short time later, the IAF discovered that the Syrian jet had crashed in Syrian territory.

"The tension is still high and so is the level of alert," a defense official said Sunday. "What is reassuring is that the Syrians have not yet responded to the alleged strike, which hopefully means that they will continue to demonstrate restraint."

IAF chief Maj.-Gen. Elazar Shkedy said Sunday that Israel was currently in a "complex" situation and that the air force was prepared for all developments.

"The IAF has relevance in all types of conflicts - some that are nearby with countries that we share a border with and some that are farther away," he said during a tour of a Jerusalem high school.

"We need to be well prepared and sharp as a razor ahead of anything that might happen."

Speaking at a Yom Kippur War memorial ceremony at Mt. Herzl on Sunday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak also warned that the relative calm and quiet could not be understood at face value.

"If there is one lesson that can be learned from the Yom Kippur War, it's that we should not be mislead by deceptive periods of calm," he said in reference to the tension with Syria as well as diplomatic developments vis-à-vis the Palestinians.

"The spirit of Israel must be prepared at every moment as if the next war is around the corner."

Barak's remarks came hours after Britain's Sunday Times reported that soldiers from the IDF's elite General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal) had seized North Korean nuclear material from a secret Syrian military installation before it was bombed by IAF jets.

Quoting "informed sources in Washington and Jerusalem," the paper claimed that the alleged IAF attack on September 6 was sanctioned by the US after the Americans were given proof that the material was indeed nuclear-related.

The sources confirmed to the paper that the materials were tested after they were taken from Syria and were found to be of North Korean origin, which raised concerns that Syria may have been trying to come into the possession of nuclear arms.

The commandos, according to the report, may have been disguised in Syrian army uniforms. It was also stated that Barak, who used to head the unit, personally oversaw the operation.

Israeli sources admitted that special forces had been accruing intelligence in Syria for several months, the report said, adding that evidence of North Korean activity at the installation was presented to President George Bush during the summer.

According to the Times, North Korea and China believed that North Koreans were among the dead in the subsequent alleged IAF air strike. On Friday, the Washington Post reported that Israel and the United States had collaborated on intelligence ahead of the alleged IAF raid.

According to the Post report, Israel informed the US over the summer that North Korean personnel were in Syria in order to assist the country's nuclear weapons program. The intelligence in question reportedly included satellite imagery.

'Chances of war with Syria still high'

[Shammu]

Israel denies seeking Syria conflict

By JOSEF FEDERMAN, Associated Press Writer Mon Sep 24, 10:36 AM ET

JERUSALEM - Israel on Monday welcomed a U.S. announcement that Syria will be invited to an upcoming Mideast peace conference, saying it has "no problem" sitting down with its archenemy.
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The Israeli announcement came as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said his country is not interested in violent conflict with Syria and expressed confidence that recent tensions between the enemy nations will subside.

Olmert has been trying to ease fears of a possible outbreak in fighting after a reported Israeli airstrike in Syria on Sept. 6. Israel has not publicly acknowledged the incursion.

Israel has repeatedly criticized Syria for its support of radical Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as the Hezbollah guerrilla group in Lebanon. Syria also is on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

But on Sunday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that key Arab nations, including Syria, would be invited to President Bush's planned Mideast peace conference this fall. The U.S. hopes the conference will provide the foundation for peace talks meant to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Olmert's spokeswoman, Miri Eisin, said Israel supported the American gesture to Syria. "We have no problem with whomever the United States decides to include at the international meeting," she said.

Syria did not immediately respond to the planned American invitation.

Tensions between Israel and Syria have been heightened since the alleged Israeli airstrike earlier this month.

Speaking to a closed meeting of Israeli lawmakers, Olmert on Monday said Israel has been monitoring Syrian troop movements in recent weeks.

"We're not interested in friction, and I think the Syrians aren't either," Olmert said, according to a meeting participant. "I think the tensions in the area will gradually subside."

The participant spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed.

At the time of the alleged air raid, Syria accused Israel of invading its airspace and dropping unspecified munitions. Israel has imposed a news blackout on the matter.

But Mideast defense officials have told The Associated Press an Israeli airstrike targeted a Syrian "technology installation" in tandem with commando forces on the ground.

Foreign news reports have cited officials and experts as saying the attack targeted either arms meant for Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon or some sort of nonconventional weapon, perhaps a joint Syrian-North Korean nuclear project. Syria has denied both, and North Korea has denied a nuclear link with Damascus.

"Israeli warplanes' intrusion into the territorial airspace of Syria and bomb-dropping are an outright violation of Syria's sovereignty and a grave crime that destroys regional peace and security," South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted the North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper as saying on Monday.

The North also claimed that the United States defended the Israelis' "brazen behavior" in allegedly launching the airstrike, Yonhap said.

Despite the tensions, Olmert last week called for the reopening of peace talks, without conditions, between the two adversaries.

Past negotiations broke down seven years ago over Syria's demand for the return of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.

Israel offered to go back to the international border, but Syria insisted on also controlling another small strip of territory — the east bank of the Sea of Galilee, which Syria captured during the 1948-49 war that accompanied Israel's creation. Talks also faltered over the extent of peaceful relations Syria would offer.

Israel denies seeking Syria conflict

[Shammu]

Mid-East summit to include Syria
Monday, 24 September 2007

Condoleezza Rice Arab states including Syria - a bitter opponent of Israel - will be asked to a Middle East peace meeting in November, the US secretary of state has said.

Condoleezza Rice described the Arab nations as "natural invitees" but said they would have to renounce violence.

She was speaking after the four backers of the peace process - the US, EU, Russia and the UN - met in New York and gave support to the proposed summit.

The quartet issued a roadmap in 2003 for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

But the roadmap has been sidelined and no apparent progress has been made towards achieving the declared aim of the process, a two-state solution.

'Peaceful solution'

After Sunday's meeting, the quartet issued a statement expressing support for the proposed conference - which has been heavily promoted by the US.

Quartet aims for momentum

Tony Blair

Ms Rice said it "would be natural" for Syria, Saudi Arabia and 10 other Arab League members to participate, but warned that attending the summit brought "certain responsibilities".

"We hope that those who come are really committed to helping the Israelis and the Palestinians find a way through - and that means renouncing violence, it means working for a peaceful solution."

Syria remains technically at war with Israel - Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab states to have signed a peace treaty with Israel.

BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says the phrase "international meeting" is notable, perhaps indicating something short of a full-scale peace conference.

With the Palestinians divided and with Israel designating the Gaza Strip as hostile territory, the climate is not encouraging, he says.

High stakes

The quartet also called for humanitarian assistance to Gaza to continue without obstruction - a warning to Israel, which has threatened to cut off vital energy supplies.

The quartet noted its grave concern about the continued rocket fire into Israel from the Gaza Strip, as well as what it termed recent efforts by the Hamas leadership there to stifle freedom of speech in the press.

The stakes over the coming weeks are high, our diplomatic correspondent says.

The quartet's envoy, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, said he believed the peace process now had momentum.

He said there was an "ambitious but achievable" plan to create a sense of how a Palestinian state would look by the end of the year.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon chaired Sunday's talks with his quartet partners - Ms Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

Mid-East summit to include Syria

[Shammu]

 Syria willing to transfer disputed Shaba Farms to UN custody
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent

Syria is willing to transfer the Shaba Farms to the custody of the United Nations as part of an effort to resolve the sovereignty dispute over the area, which is currently under Israel's control.

The new Syrian position was outlined in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon by Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos, who visited Damascus last month.

Israeli political sources said Tuesday that Syria's offer is meant to put pressure on Jerusalem, which opposes any withdrawal from Shaba at this stage.

Moratinos sent the letter to the UN secretary general two weeks ago, after discussing the matter with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus.

In it, Moratinos, who was the European Union's special envoy to the Middle East before becoming Spain's foreign minister, wrote that Syria is willing to transfer the area to UN custody even before the international border between it and Lebanon has been fully demarcated. The UN has been engaged in marking the border for the past year.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said last year that he would also like to see Shaba transferred to UN custody.

The Shaba Farms, situated in the foothills of Har Dov at the point where the borders of Israel, Lebanon and Syria converge, used to be part of the French Mandate in Syria and Lebanon. The border, which followed a 1923 agreement between Britain and France, was never precisely demarcated.

In May 2000, following Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon, the UN ruled that Shaba was part of the Golan Heights, and was therefore Syrian rather than Lebanese. It also said that Shaba's future should be determined in negotiations between Israel and Syria.

However, Lebanon claimed that Shaba was within its sovereign territory, and this provided Hezbollah with a pretext for continuing its military operations against Israel, in order to liberate the "occupied territory."

Following last year's Second Lebanon War, the UN began marking the international border between Syria and Lebanon, mainly in order to resolve the dispute over which country actually owns Shaba. Israel's position has been that there should be no discussion of Shaba's future until the UN makes a final decision on precisely where this border lies.

"There is no change in Israel's stance on the matter," a source in the Prime Minister's Bureau told Haaretz on Tuesday. "First, the demarcation of the border must be completed."

Senior Foreign Ministry officials told a Moratinos aide who visited Israel last week that there should be no discussions on Shaba "at our expense." They also warned that an Israel Defense Forces withdrawal from the area at this time would undermine Israel's interests and constitute a "prize" for Syria's ally, Hezbollah.

Israeli sources expressed dissatisfaction Tuesday at the fact that Spain did not officially inform Israel about the Moratinos letter to Ban Ki-moon. Israeli diplomats learned of its content by chance during talks at the UN.

The letter may contribute to the growing tension between Israel and Spain, initially sparked by a meeting Moratinos held with Hezbollah's deputy secretary general, Naim Qassem. Following that meeting, a Moratinos visit to Israel that had been scheduled for earlier this month was postponed until October.

UN mapping expert Miklos Pinter, who has been busy delineating the border area near Shaba, visited Israel two weeks ago to meet his Israeli counterparts. Next month, the UN is expected to publish a new report on the situation between Israel and Lebanon, and Pinter's findings may be included in the document.

Israeli officials are concerned that this report could spark renewed discussion of which country has sovereignty over Shaba Farms.

Syria willing to transfer disputed Shaba Farms to UN custody

[Shammu]

Syrians look to IDF site for safety guidance

Yaakov Katz
THE JERUSALEM POST
Sep. 24, 2007

The IDF Home Front Command's newly-launched Web site received some unexpected visitors on Monday after Al Jazeera referred Syrian citizens to the site ahead of a planned emergency drill in their country.

According to the cable news station, Syria was planning to sound air-raid alarms throughout the country on Monday to help prepare for a state of emergency, including the possibility of a war with Israel.

During the news segment, the presenter referred Syrian citizens to the IDF Home Front Command's (HFC) new Web site in Arabic that was launched over the weekend.

HFC's new site (www.oref.org.il) - was developed following the Second Lebanon War by Lt.-Col. Ariella Ben-Avraham, the command's new Chief Information Officer. The site is highly advanced and supports high-quality video features as well in-depth explanations on how to respond during a state of emergency - whether an earthquake or a missile attack.

Along with the Arabic site, the HFC also launched an English version, accessible at the same address. On Monday, 2,135 people visited the site, mostly the English version. Ben-Avraham said that during a war, the Web site will provide real-time updates on cities under missile attack.

"Our job is to provide the public with instructions on how to behave during a state of emergency," Ben-Avraham said Monday.

"The Web site is meant to do just that by reaching every home with internet access and a computer."

Ben-Avraham, who until half a year ago served in the IDF Spokesperson's Office, said that during the war the HFC's old site crashed due to the large number of visitors. The new site's servers are provided by a civilian company and are expected to be able to maintain the heavy traffic expected during a war.

Syrians look to IDF site for safety guidance

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

We are living in wild and dangerous times. There's a relatively new term that is coming to play more and more often - "Proxy War". I think that the term should be extended to "Proxy Attack". In other words, governments are giving terrorists the weapons to attack others. Those governments then deny anything to do with the attacks.

We can see many examples of this at play right now. Examples:

North Korea supplying Syria and who knows who else.

Iran supplying terrorists throughout the Middle East, certainly including Syria.

Russia and China supplying terrorists throughout the Middle East, again including Syria.

Those involved in "Proxy" conflicts are being caught red-handed. Everything is escalating quickly, and it doesn't appear that anything can stop it. This should be a time of prayer for Christians.

[Shammu]

IAF sends fighter jets to Israeli-Syrian border

Syrian aircraft detected flying over Syrian part of border. After determining planes were not engaged in hostile activity, Israeli jets return to their base

Hagai Einav
09.27.07, 16:05
Israel News

The Israel Air Force sent fighter jets to the Israeli-Syrian border Thursday afternoon, after Syrian aircraft were detected on radar screens flying over the area near the Syrian part of the border.

After determining that the Syrian aircraft were not engaged in hostile activity, the IAF warplanes proceeded to return to their base safely. Tens of thousands of hikers visiting the Golan Heights at the time of the incident were not evacuated.

The IDF said in response to the incident that the IAF would not provide details on its operational activities.

Sending IAF jets after abnormal aerial activity over Israel's border is a standard operating procedure in the IDF.

Last Saturday, during the holyday of Yom Kippur, the IDF sent IAF fighter jets after a Syrian aircraft that disappeared from IDF radar. According to IDF sources, the Syrian aircraft was later found on the Syrian side of the border, after it had crashed.

The IAF jets found no evidence of the aircraft attempting an attack and proceeded to return from their mission safely. Sending IAF jets after unidentified aircraft which fall off the radar is a standard method of operation in the IDF, the sources said.

On Sunday, roadblocks were set up in the southern Golan Heights for fear that an unidentified person had infiltrated Israel from Syria.

The nearby communities were informed about the incident, but shortly afterwards it was determined that no infiltration took place. The IDF's Spokesperson's Office said in response that this was not an unusual incident.

The recent incidents were the height of the recent tensions between Israel and Syria, following Israel's reported breach of Syrian airspace a few weeks ago and Syrian President Bashar Assad's statements regarding "the option of war".

IAF sends fighter jets to Israeli-Syrian border

[Shammu]

Livni meets with Syrian FM

Al-Sinara newspaper reports Tzipi Livni meets with Walid Moallem at UN headquarters in New York for over an hour; two discuss tensions between two countries. Report denied by Livni's entourage
Roee Nahmias

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met with her Syrian counterpart Walid Moallem in New York on Wednesday, Arab-Israeli newspaper al-Sinara reported on Thursday. Livni's entourage in New York denied the report.

According to the report, which was based on a senior Arab source, the meeting came after Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani surprised Livni with a proposal that she convene with the Syrian FM at the UN headquarters in New York.

After consluting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Livni agreed to the meeting, which ended up lasting for over an hour.

During thier meeting the two reportedly discussed tensions that have built up between the two countries, and the need to calm things down.

The Arab source said the meeting could be an opening for Qatari mediation between Israel and Syria, especially due to its proximity to the international peace conference set for November.

According to the report, in his previous meeting with Moallem, the Qatari emir brought up the possibility of a meeting with Livni and Moallem agreed.

The report said Moallem demanded clarifications on Israel's real stance, since he claimed that on one hand Israel continues to make calls for peace, while on the other, it infiltrates Syrian airspace.

The Arab source told al-Sinara that Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Gillerman and Syrian Ambassador to the US Mohammed Nassif, who was reportedly involved in setting up previous meetings between Moallem and US and Israeli officials, were also present at the meeting.

Tensions have risen between the two countries in recent weeks after foreign media reported an Israeli airstrike on Syria.

Earlier this week Syrian officials said in response to the reports, "After such a raid, you can forget about peace."

Nonetheless, Olmert has said that Israel and Syria expressed hopes that "the tension is gradually diffused, and the front returns to calm. We are certainly interested in that."

Livni meets with Syrian FM

[Shammu]

Assad: We reserve the right to respond to Israeli raid

In BBC interview, Syrian president says Israeli air strike in northern Syria last month proved Israel's 'visceral antipathy towards peace.' Referring to regional peace conference, Assad says Syria will only participate if its concerns, including return of Golan Heights, are addressed

Ynetnews
10.01.07, 14:22
Israel News

The Israeli air strike in northern Syria early in September showed Israel's "visceral antipathy towards peace," Syrian President Bashar Assad told the BBC in an interview Monday.

He said Syria reserved the right to respond to the attack, although he did not specify what that response would be.

Assad said that Syria would not attend the regional peace conference scheduled for November unless the country's concerns were addressed, particularly the return of the Golan Heights.

"If they don't talk about the Syrian occupied territory, no, there's no way for Syria to go there," he stated.

"It should be about comprehensive peace, and Syria is part of this comprehensive peace. Without that, we shouldn't go, we wouldn't go."

Assad stressed that any opportunity to promote peace was important, but was skeptical about the summit's potential success. He added that Syria needed more details about the conference before it decided whether or not to attend it.

"So far we didn't have the invitation and we didn't have any clarification about anything," he told the BBC.

Assad: We reserve the right to respond to Israeli raid

[nChrist]

Hello Dreamweaver,

Brother, I find these developments to be fascinating, but most obviously dangerous. One can be certain that Syria knew the specific reasons for the attack. The problems for Syria magnified after information about the attack was leaked to the world. Now, Syria has a "Saving Face" problem with the Arab world.

All of this makes me wonder what would have happened if the attack information WAS kept secret - MAYBE NOTHING!  BUT, now it's a big embarrassment for Syria that they apparently can't handle. In other words, Syria got what it expected if they got caught, and they got caught. OR, maybe Syria thought that Israel wouldn't dare handle something that it couldn't possibly tolerate. The same thoughts are currently at work with other players:  Iran and North Korea. Who wouldn't dare to do what - AND when? YES - the dare will be met, and lots of folks with psychopathic personalities will "Lose Face"!

[Shammu]

Israel suspected of 'hacking' Syrian air defences
Did algorithms clear path for air raid?
By John Leyden → More by this author
Published Thursday 4th October 2007 15:17 GMT

Questions are mounting over how Israeli planes were able to sneak past Syria's defences and bomb a "strategic target" in the country last month.

Israeli F-15s and F-16s bombed a military construction site on 6 September. Earlier reports of the attack were confirmed this week when Israeli Army radio said Israeli planes had attacked a military target "deep inside Syria", quoting the military censor.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said it reserved the right to retaliate when he took the unusual step of offering interviews to Western media.

Syria and Israel have remained formally at war since the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, during which Israeli forces seized the Golan Heights.

The motives for the strike, much less what was hit and what damage was caused, remain unclear. One theory is that a fledgling nuclear research centre, the fruits of alleged collaboration between Syria and North Korea, may have been hit. Others speculate that a store of arms shipments bound for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah might have been targeted. A test against Syria's air defences has also being suggested in some quarters. None of these theories appear to be much better than educated guesswork.

Bombers carrying out the raid are believed to have entered Syrian airspace from the Mediterranean Sea. Unmarked fuel drop tanks were later found on Turkish soil near the Syrian border, providing evidence of a possible escape route. Witnesses said the Israeli jets were engaged by Syrian air defences in Tall al-Abyad, near the border with Turkey.

This location is deep within Turkey, prompting questions about how the fighters avoided detection until so long into their mission. Neither F-15s nor F-16s used by the Israeli air force in the raids are fitted with stealth technology.

Flying under the radar is a dangerous tactic, no longer favoured since a number of British fighters went down during the first Gulf War over the liberation of Kuwait. That leaves the possibility that jamming techniques, or some even more sophisticated electronic warfare tactic, was brought into play.

Aviation Week reckons the success of the attack might be down to use of the "Suter" airborne network attack system. The technology, was developed by BAE Systems and integrated into US unmanned aircraft by L-3 Communications, according to unnamed US aerospace industry and retired military officials questioned by Aviation Week.

Instead of jamming radar signals, Suter uses a more sophisticated approach of "hacking" into enemy defences.

"The technology allows users to invade communications networks, see what enemy sensors see, and even take over as systems administrator so sensors can be manipulated into positions so that approaching aircraft can't be seen," Aviation Week explains. "The process involves locating enemy emitters with great precision and then directing data streams into them that can include false targets and misleading message algorithms."

Suter is said to have being "tested operationally" in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last year, according to Aviation Week. Syria reportedly recently bought two state-of-the art radar systems from Russia, reckoned to be Tor-M1 launchers that carry a payload of eight missiles, as well as two Pachora-2A systems. Iran recently bought 29 of these Tor launchers from Russia for $750m in order to defend its nuclear sites.

The apparent failure of these systems in detecting and responding to the Israeli raid therefore poses questions for arms manufacturers and armies all the way from Damascus to Moscow and over to Tehran.

Israel suspected of 'hacking' Syrian air defences

[Shammu]

Israel braces for Syrian response

By Alon Ben-David
05 October 2007

Israel is preparing for a Syrian response to the 6 September raid in northeast Syria, after both countries confirmed that the attack took place.

Israeli intelligence agencies are mostly concerned that the Syrian response will be in the form of a terror attack on an Israeli target around the world. Israeli official delegations worldwide and airlines were ordered to increase precautions, recalling the Syrian attempt to bomb an El-Al flight from London to Tel Aviv in 1986.

"I believe that the Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad would rather act through proxies, such as terrorist organisation, than test his army in war against Israel," former Israel Defence Force (IDF) Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Moshe Ya'alon told Jane's.

Indeed, when asked by the British Broadcasting Corporation if he intends to retaliate against Israel, Syria's President Assad said: "Retaliate does not mean missile for missile and bomb for bomb. We have our means to retaliate, maybe politically, maybe in other ways. But we have the right to retaliate."

Israel braces for Syrian response

[Shammu]

Syrian parliament member says ‘Israel operation failed’

In special interview with Israeli-Arab newspaper Mohammad Habash calls IAF raid on Syria ‘failure’, says Israel must change policy, negotiate peace

Roee Nahmias
Published: 10.04.07, 20:38
Israel News

“If Israel doesn’t change its policy, it will find itself going against Hizbullah in the north, Hamas in the south, and the Syrian army, which is allied with Iran,” Syrian parliament member Dr Mohammad Habash told the Israeli-Arab newspaper Kul-Alarab.

In a special interview to be published Friday, Habash confirmed that his country aided Hizbullah during the Second Lebanon War, and warned Israel that the situation had changed, and it could not continue to rely on the United States to protect it.

“When the Americans leave the area, Israel will be in a ridiculous position. That is why it’s trying to start fires here and there, in order to make use of the US military in the region.”

Habash also commented on the IAF’s attack near Dir a-Zour last September. “As you know, Dir a-Zour is close to the Iraqi border, where the American forces are. The point of the operation was to push the Americans into committing more crimes in the area.”

The Syrian parliament member added that his country was prepared for any situation, saying “the enemy will not be the one to decide for Syria the time and place of the confrontation.

“We won’t give the enemy the opportunity to set the date. We have an international obligation to choose peace as a strategic option, but we have other options. All of the options are ours to choose from.”

Habash also told Kul-Alarab that Syrian antiaircraft forces were capable of curbing an IAF attack. “I’m not a military expert, but Syria is in a state of alert and is completely militarily prepared.

“I’m not authorized to discuss the military, but it is clear that we have complete faith in the Syrian army, since our last encounter with the Zionists proved a big success we still take pride in. I’m referring to the October War, and the Israelis know it.”
 
Speaking of the Israel’s operation in Syria last month, Habash said, “All the signs show that Israel carried out a failed operation. Its planes took off with munitions, targets, and a plan, but were surprised by the Syria’s aerial defense forces, which forced them to drop the munitions over an unsettled area.

“Let me say, so the Israelis can hear: Hafez Assad ruled Syria for 30 years, and the biggest achievement he brought to Syria against Israel was the October War. I believe president Bashar is determined to free the Golan, and that is his strategic goal.

“Therefore, it is in Israel’s best interest to sit down to the negotiation table for peace,” Habash concluded.

Syrian parliament member says ‘Israel operation failed’

[Shammu]

“If Israel doesn’t change its policy, it will find itself going against Hizbullah in the north, Hamas in the south, and the Syrian army, which is allied with Iran,”

This guy just spilled the muslim war plan.   All those groups are going to launch at once....... Sounds kind of apocalyptic, doesn't it??

KEEP LOOKING UP!!

[Shammu]

Syrian guerrilla group 'ready for attacks'
Hezbollah-like cells plan provocations to force war between Damascus, Israel
Posted: October 4, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

A recently formed Syrian guerrilla group modeling itself after the Lebanese Hezbollah militia is preparing for "resistance attacks" against the Jewish state, leaders of the purported group stated during in-person interviews released in a new book.

The information comes as Israel yesterday broke its nearly four-week silence and admitted officially the Jewish state's warplanes struck a "military installation" in Syria last month, prompting some officials in Damascus to call for retaliation, including guerrilla raids against Israel.

In his new book, "Schmoozing with Terrorists: From Hollywood to the Holy Land, Jihadists Reveal their Global Plans – to a Jew!" WND Jerusalem bureau chief obtained access to the leadership of the new purported Syrian group, calling itself the Committees for the Liberation of the Golan.

"If an agreement is not quickly forged between Israel and Syria [for an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan], we will begin attacks," a senior leader of the Committees told Klein, speaking on condition his name be withheld.

The Golan Heights is strategic mountainous territory looking down on Israeli and Syrian population centers captured by Israel after Damascus twice used the territory to attack the Jewish state.

The Committees leader stated Syria watched as Israel "lost" a war against the Lebanese Hezbollah militia in the summer of 2006 and noted the Syrian leadership learned that "fighting" is more effective than peace negotiations with regard to gaining territory.

The leader explained in "Schmoozing" his group will initiate rocket attacks and Hezbollah-like raids against Israeli troop positions and Golan-based Jewish communities in hopes of eventually provoking a conflict or generating domestic Israeli pressure for Israel to vacate the Golan.

Much of the Israeli sections of the Golan look down on Syria, and there are U.N. posts at international buffer areas between the Israeli and Syrian sides of the territory, but the Committees leader explained there are multiple points of vulnerability along the Syria-Israel border that can be exploited, including many Israeli sections of the Golan that are at level with the Syrian sides.

The Committees for the Liberation of the Golan Heights consists of Syrian volunteers, many from the Syrian border with Turkey and from Palestinian refugee camps near Damascus, the Committees leader stated. He said Syria held registration for volunteers to join the Committees last June.

Israel is taking seriously the claims of formation of the Committees.

Amos Yadlin, head of the IDF's intelligence branch, stated Syria is indeed in the early stages of forming a Hezbollah-like group.

Israeli security officials speaking to WND said Syrian President Bashar Assad is under heavy pressure from Iran and from senior elements within his military to retaliate for the Israeli aerial strike, especially since the Israel Defense Forces yesterday officially confirmed a raid in Syria took place.

The security officials said if pressure continues to escalate or if the IDF conducts other operation inside Syria, Assad, realizing his army it not prepared for a direct confrontation with Israel, may respond by launching guerrilla attacks against the Golan Heights.

Yesterday, Mohammad Habbash, a member of the Syrian parliament, told reporters Syria may resort to a guerrilla war:

"If the Israeli side launches attacks, believe me we will be very harsh in our response," stated Habbash. "It will be a guerrilla war. There will be guerrilla warfare coming from Lebanon and Syria, and it will be very harsh."

In an interview with the BBC Monday, Assad said Syria is still considering an "appropriate" response to the Israeli aerial attack. He said it wouldn't have to be "missile-for-missile" but could be a political reaction.

Assad claimed Israeli jets hit an unmanned military facility in the Sept. 6 raid.

The IDF has not announced the exact target of its missile strike except that it was a military installation, but multiple newspapers reports have alleged Israel destroyed a facility at which North Korea was transferring nuclear technology to the Syrians.