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

[Soldier4Christ]

There are a number of updates on it in the thread on the peace conferences.

http://forums.christiansunite.com/index.php?topic=19819.0

[Shammu]

Israelis hit Syrian ‘nuclear bomb plant’
December 2, 2007

Uzi Mahnaimi in Tel Aviv and Michael Sheridan in Seoul

ISRAEL’S top-secret air raid on Syria in September destroyed a bomb factory assembling warheads fuelled by North Korean plutonium, a leading Israeli nuclear expert has told The Sunday Times.

Professor Uzi Even of Tel Aviv University was one of the founders of the Israeli nuclear reactor at Dimona, the source of the Jewish state’s undeclared nuclear arsenal.

“I suspect that it was a plant for processing plutonium, namely, a factory for assembling the bomb,” he said. “I think the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] transferred to Syria weapons-grade plutonium in raw form, that is nuggets of easily transported metal in protective cans. I think the shaping and casting of the plutonium was supposed to be in Syria.”

All governments concerned - even the regime in Damascus - have tried to maintain complete secrecy about the raid.

They apparently fear that forcing a confrontation on the issue could spark a war between Israel and Syria, end the Middle East peace talks and wreck America’s extremely complex negotiations to disarm North Korea of its nuclear weapons.

The political stakes could hardly be higher. Plutonium is the element which fuelled the American atomic bomb that destroyed the Japanese city of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

Critics in the United States say proof that North Korea supplied such nuclear weapons material to Syria, a state technically at war with Israel, would shatter congressional confidence in the Bush administration’s diplomatic policy.

From beneath the veil of military censorship, western commentators have formed a consensus that the target was a nuclear reactor under construction.

But Even said that purely from scientific observation, he had reached a different conclusion - that it was a nuclear bomb factory, posing a more immediate danger to Israel. He said that satellite photos of the site, taken before the Israeli strike on September 6, showed no sign of the cooling towers and chimneys characteristic of nuclear reactors.

Syria’s haste after the attack to bury the site under tons of soil suggested that hundreds of square yards were contaminated and there were fears of radiation, the professor added.

Since then the Syrians have sealed up the location, levelled the site and diverted curious journalists to a place that had not been attacked by Israel.

The professor’s theory fits with authoritative technical evidence about North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme. The North Koreans are able to produce weapons-grade plutonium, which is electro-refined, alloyed and cast into shapes ready to be machined to fit into a warhead, according to a team of distinguished American nuclear weapons scientists who visited the country’s laboratories.

One of those scientists, Siegfried Hecker, was allowed to hold a sample and was told that it was “good bomb grade plutonium”, because it had a very low content of plutonium240, the isotope which reduces the overall quality of the material.

Assembly of a Nagasaki-type bomb involves mating a plutonium core with a uranium wrap and inserting a small quantity of polonium and beryllium to initiate the chain reaction.

“Plutonium is highly dangerous material,” explained the Israeli professor. “It is easily oxidised in air unless protective measures are taken. The oxide is easily dispersed as dust in air when machining plutonium to create the ‘pit’ [a hollow sphere in many nuclear weapons] and thus can be inhaled, causing a fatality in minute quantities.

“Plutonium pellets are handled and machined exclusively in a large array of ‘glove boxes’, to protect the technicians and their environment. That is why you need a relatively large containment building and cannot assemble a nuclear weapon in your garage - unless you are suicidal of course.”

The debris from a destructive raid on a weapons-building facility could therefore contain toxic radioactive waste. But the main danger for Syria would be the telltale exposure of the elements to surveillance and detection by America. This would explain the cover-up at the site.

North Korea, for its part, has more than enough plutonium to sell some of its stock to Syria.

The same team of visiting US scientists estimated that by late 2006 the nation had made 40-50kg (88-100lb) of the material. Between six and eight kilograms are needed for a weapon.

For the US and its allies the Syrian connection raises the deeply worrying possibility that North Korea has succeeded in building what the US scientists called “a sophisticated design with smaller dimensions and mass so as to fit onto a . . . medium-range missile”.

That puzzle was complicated when North Korea announced that it had tested its first nuclear bomb on October 9 last year. The yield of the blast was small - less than a 20th of the Nagasaki bomb - suggesting to some scientists that the device was sophisticated and small while others believed the North Koreans had simply not made a very good bomb.

Professor Even believes the North Koreans have not yet perfected small warheads. “The mechanical dimensioning at this stage is extremely demanding (less than 0.01mm). So is the casting of the explosives around the plutonium core and the initiation of the implosion,” he said.

The question is under urgent study by nations who might one day be targets of a North Korean device sold to Syria or Iran. Iran is known to have financed missile and weapons deals between North Korea and Syria, causing concern to Israel and the US. One day after the Israeli attack, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, sent his nephew with a personal letter to Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian leader.

The professor’s theory of a clear and present danger that Damascus would get the bomb may be the only credible explanation why Israel carried out a military strike against Syria and risked an all-out conflict.

Indeed on September 6 Israel was ready for war with Syria. Israeli sources said its military chiefs assumed Syria would launch a retaliatory attack, but no reprisal came.

Meanwhile, President Bush has authorised his chief negotiator, Christopher Hill, to go on talking to North Korea in the search for a peaceful solution. Hill will visit Pyongyang this week to pursue negotiations after international technicians got to work on disabling the reactor at Yongbyon, the source of North Korea’s plutonium.

The North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il is supposed to make a full declaration of his nuclear programmes by December 31. The US says that must include information on his weapons deals with Syria and Iran.

Israelis hit Syrian ‘nuclear bomb plant’

[Shammu]

Syrian MP: If we're attacked – we'll hit Dimona

In interview with Israeli-Arab newspaper, Syrian Parliament member says Dimona nuclear reactor within range of Syrian missiles. 'Nothing will stop the Syrian soldier's fervor in this situation,' he says

Roee Nahmias
Published: 12.07.07, 00:55
Israel News

Syrian MP Dr. Muhammad Habash warned Israel not to attack his country in an interview with the Israeli-Arab news paper Ma'a al-Hadat published on Thursday saying Israel's nuclear reactor might be hit in retaliation in such a situation.

The Syrian official said that his nation is considering its response in the case of an Israeli attack.

"The prospect that Israel might take some adventurous steps is reasonable to assume. In the last year, the Israelis decided to carry out some risky maneuvers and they were on the losing side and even today there are those that are pushing for war—even though Israel was on the losing side," the Syrian MP said.

"The possibility that Israel were to infringe upon Syria's sovereignty is a possibility that exists and that we're not ruling out, although at the same time, we are not looking to reach this stage and we do not want to escalate the situation," he said in the interview.

Dr. Habash, one of the more prominent Syrian spokesmen in the media, was asked if Syria would be able to impede Israeli aggression. He answered saying: "The Dimona reactor is located within range of our missiles. Nothing will stop the fervor of the Syrian solder and the Syrian warrior in this situation."

The Syrian MP also discussed issues related to Israeli-Syrian negotiations. According to Dr. Habash, there are no Israeli-Syrian backchannels and Damascus only supports public negotiations in which its demands are very clear—the return of the Golan Heights as well as half a million Palestinian refugees currently residing in Syria to Israel.

"Every time the Israelis say there are secret contacts going on between Israel and Syria but it soon becomes clear that these remarks are made simply for domestic political concerns in Tel Aviv. Syria doesn't need clandestine negotiations. We're ready for public talks. If this is so, why engage in clandestine negotiations?"

"The mediation between Syria and Israel has never ended. The Russians are aiding in the mediation as well as the Turks and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon as well number of other countries that have mutual interests," the Syrian MP told the interviewer.

"If half million Palestinian refugees that are currently living on Syrian land are returned to Israel or their lands in Palestine, and the Golan Heights is reinstated as Syrian, then we would be able to say thank God and enjoy the long-awaited peace," Dr. Habash said.

In the meantime, Dr. Habash is promising that normalization with Israel will not occur as long as negotiations are not completed. "Syria is not thinking about normalization with Israel before peace is achieved because normalization for free is assumed to be bribery."

Syrian MP: If we're attacked – we'll hit Dimona

[Shammu]

Syria blocks Facebook access, citing Israeli 'infiltration'
The Associated Press
Published: December 7, 2007

DAMASCUS, Syria: Syrian authorities have blocked Facebook, the popular Internet hangout, over what seems to be fears of Israeli "infiltration" of Syrian social networks on the Net, according to residents and media reports.

Residents of Damascus said that they have not been able to enter Facebook for more than two weeks. An Associated Press reporter got a blank page when he tried to open Facebook's home page Friday from the Syrian capital.

Syrian officials were not available for comment Friday because of the Muslim weekend, but some reports have suggested that the ban was intended to prevent Israeli users from infiltrating Syrian social networks.

Lebanon's daily As-Safir reported that Facebook was blocked on Nov. 18. It said the authorities took the step because Israelis have been entering Syria-based groups.   (I wonder why it is called the "World Wide Web."  DW)

Human rights groups have regularly criticized Syrian authorities for blocking opposition sites and Internet sites critical of President Bashar Assad's government.

Former President Hafez Assad's death in 2000 after three decades of authoritarian rule raised hopes of a freer society under his British-educated son and successor.

But the younger Assad cracked down on political opponents and human rights activists, putting many of them in jail.

Syria blocks Facebook access, citing Israeli 'infiltration'
~~~~~~~~~~~

So we know mideast Muslims are afraid of pigs, Jews and women over there. Important intel.

[Shammu]

Syria plays games with the peace process

by roee nahmias

Like a seasoned poker player, Syrian President Bashar Assad keeps his cards close to his chest.

At the last moment, following “clarifications” from Washington regarding the Golan Heights, Syria decided to get on the bandwagon and attend the recent Annapolis peace conference. All this was expected. However, below the surface, while Israeli officials were busy with the peace conference and the rank of representatives sent to attend it, Syria and Iran were up to their old games.

We are seeing another phase in the mighty struggle between the United States and Iran to influence the Middle East. In Annapolis, the Bush administration attempted to display its power by convening Israel and the Palestinians with the support of the Arab League, including Saudi Arabia, Syria and Lebanon. All the while the Teheran-Damascus axis proves its strength daily: Witness the destabilization of Lebanon, the burning of Iraq, and the chaos of the Gaza Strip.

Time and again, Iran proves the strength of its grip in the Shiite crescent, from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon, all the way to the Palestinian territories. Syria fully admits to it. Its foreign minister traveled to Teheran to coordinate positions. A Syrian parliament member spoke about “strategic ties” that create a “crescent of resistance against the U.S. and the Zionists.” If this is not an admission of the establishment of an anti-American bloc in the Middle East, what is?

The dangerous game taking place in Lebanon these days also has a significant and almost direct influence on Israel. Ever since the last war, Lebanon is facing political paralysis between two main camps: the anti-Syria bloc, supported by the West, and the opposition, headed by Hezbollah with the support of Iran and Syria. At this time the crisis touches upon a dramatic matter: the identity of the next Lebanese president. The players have remained the same.

It was therefore amazing to see representatives of Europe and Russia make pilgrimages to Damascus one after another recently in order to ask Assad for assistance on the Lebanese front. Even Jordanian King Abdullah II ended a lengthy rift and came for a historic visit bearing a tempting package: Help us on the Lebanese front, come to Annapolis and get an immediate improvement of relations with Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, who all turned their backs on Syria in the last war and after it.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy also acceded and called after he realized, along with the Americans, that there is no choice: In order to make Annapolis a success and prevent chaos in Lebanon, Assad must be enlisted.

With its breached Iraqi border, support for Palestinian terror groups, and in Lebanon as well, Damascus proves again that its hand (along with Iran’s

hand) is firmly on the faucet. If it wants to, it will put out the fire. Otherwise, it can make any temporary order in Beirut go up in flames. And this is exactly what Syria wanted: to prove to George Bush and to the entire world that it went to Annapolis on its own terms, not out of weakness.

“There is no doubt that Syria still has great control in Lebanon,” Lebanese sources told me. “Syria is playing the double game, in accordance with its interests. It lost the Golan Heights, and later it lost Lebanon, and now it attempts, through the Lebanese card, to get back in the game.”

Just like a seasoned poker player, Assad, who recently was humiliated by the Israeli Air Force’s attack in his territory, is keeping his cards close to his chest.

And so, Syria continues with its double game: It accepted Washington’s invitation but clings to the alliance with Iran; it attended Annapolis but sent a lower-ranked representative than other Arab states; it doesn’t believe Israel but seeks a similar conference with the Jewish state, maybe in Moscow; it continues to support terror groups but cancelled a special convention it organized with Hamas’ leadership.

What will this dangerous game lead to? More of the same: talk of peace, on the one hand; power games along the Shiite crescent, on the other hand. The bottom line is that no peace conference will change the Syrian and Iranian influence in Beirut — and also in Jerusalem — in the near future.

Syria plays games with the peace process

[Shammu]

The Iranians playing chess and the Syrians playing poker, theses are dangerous games they're playing.

[nChrist]

The Iranians playing chess and the Syrians playing poker, theses are dangerous games they're playing.

Brother, as we both know, they are behaving in ways that will fulfill Bible Prophecy. If they only knew, they could read about their end in the Holy Bible. However, they wouldn't believe it and would simply laugh.

[Shammu]

Syria pressed to end impasse in Lebanon

By Ferry Biedermann in Beirut

December 22 2007 02:00

The US and France are increasing pressure on Syria to resolve Lebanon's political crisis and facilitate the long-delayed election of a new president, amid growing frustration with Damascus' alleged meddling.

The election, scheduled for today, was delayed for the tenth time yesterday, until next Saturday.

The postponement came in spite of Nicolas Sarkozy, French president, earlier in the day warning his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, that he expected parliament in Beirut to elect a new head of state today.

His telephone conversation with the Syrian leader followed remarks by George W. Bush, US president, on Thursday that he had "lost patience" with Mr Assad long ago.

The US and France support the anti-Syrian government in Beirut against the opposition, which is led by the pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian Hizbollah movement. Crisis-prone Lebanon has become a stage where western powers are actively competing for influence against the Syrian-Iranian alliance.

The country, however, has been without a head of state since the term of the previous president ended on November 24.

Both the pro-western parliamentary majority and the opposition have, in theory, agreed on Michel Suleiman, the army commander, as a compromise candidate. However, his election has been held up by further political wrangling.

The opposition and its Syrian backers claim that US, rather than Syrian, interference is blocking a solution. Walid Muallem, Syrian foreign minister, said a visit to Beirut by David Welch, US assistant secretary of state, this week was aimed at "obstructing" a solution.

"The American role in Lebanon should be sidelined because it is not balanced," he told reporters.

Mr Muallem also claimed that the US was blocking an understanding on Lebanon between Syria and France - a statement that French officials, however, denied.

But he reiterated that meeting the opposition's demands for a decisive say in a new cabinet was crucial to ending the presidential impasse. Hizbollah and its allies have been insisting on a one-third, blocking minority in the government for over a year, holding a prolonged sit-in in downtown Beirut to back up their demands.

According to the London- based pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, Mr Muallem said that a solution could lie in giving the opposition 11 ministers and the majority 14 ministers, while the new president of the republic could name the remaining five members of the cabinet.

His remarks, however, elicited a furious response from Beirut. Ghattas Khoury, one of the leaders of the pro-government March 14 bloc, described them as an "overt intervention in the internal affairs of Lebanon".

Meanwhile, the opposition Hizbollah movement responded angrily to remarks by Mr Bush in which he urged the government to elect a president using its narrow majority if no consensus was reached.

Such a course would, "threaten stability in Lebanon, strike at national unity and spread chaos as happened in Iraq", Hassan Fadlallah, Hizbollah MP, told Reuters news agency.

Syria pressed to end impasse in Lebanon

[Shammu]

Syrian MP threatens to hit Dimona
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST    Dec. 22, 2007

"If Syria feels threatened by Israel, it will be hard to stop our missile operators from responding to the Israeli aggression by attacking the Dimona nuclear reactor," Syrian legislator Muhammad Habash was quoted as saying Saturday.

In an interview with Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Habash emphasized that the Dimona reactor is "within range" of the Syrian missiles.

Habash told the London-based newspaper that Syria did not rule out a violation of its sovereignty by Israel and said Damascus was "prepared" for this eventuality.

However, the Syrian legislator stressed that Damascus did not want to escalate the situation in the region.

Habash, who coordinates with the Presidential Palace in Damascus, also claimed that international mediators were constantly making efforts to renew ties between Israel and Syria but underlined that at the moment, there was no contact between the two countries.

Despite Habash's threat, Amos Gilad, head of the Defense Ministry Diplomatic-Security Branch, dismissed any notion of high tension between Israel and Syria.

He told Israel Radio that he chose to see Habash's words in a different, more positive light.

"Since Israel is not threatening Syria, and the Syrians are well aware of this, there is no war on the agenda between Israel and Syria," said Gilad. "Put simply," he continued, "Israel does not intend to attack Syria, Syria doesn't intend to attack Israel and, therefore, no real tension is expected between the two countries on the military front."

Gilad claimed that the current period was actually one of "relative calm" between the two sides.

Syrian MP threatens to hit Dimona

[Shammu]

The thing that gets me about this article, is the opening statement:

"If Syria feels threatened by Israel, it will be hard to stop our missile operators from responding to the Israeli aggression by attacking the Dimona nuclear reactor," Syrian legislator Muhammad Habash was quoted as saying Saturday.

Versus a closing statement:

"Since Israel is not threatening Syria, and the Syrians are well aware of this, there is no war on the agenda between Israel and Syria," said Gilad. "Put simply," he continued, "Israel does not intend to attack Syria, Syria doesn't intend to attack Israel and, therefore, no real tension is expected between the two countries on the military front."

I think someone's trying to start something, without seeming like they are...... I think 2008 is gonna be a wild ride!!

[Shammu]

Syria awaiting next US president
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST    Dec. 25, 2007

Syria is interested in a peace agreement with Israel but is waiting for the next US administration in order to initiate talks, a new intelligence assessment by the Foreign Ministry states.

The yearly assessment was presented to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday by Nimrod Barkan, director of the ministry's Center for Policy Research.

According to the report, the Syrians do not believe that negotiations will be able to advance as long as US President George W. Bush is in office, and therefore prefer to wait until the end of his term, hoping that the next administration will be willing to renew talks with Damascus and will give its blessing to Syrian-Israeli negotiations.

"Syria is the odd one out among Israel's enemies, in that it is a secular nation which acknowledges Israel and eyes the West. It is aware of its weakness in the face of Israel and of future financial problems, and it therefore wishes to reach a settlement," Barkan said.

Barkan stated that Israel had increased its deterrent capabilities against Hizbullah and Syria in 2007. However, he added, both Syria and Hizbullah were continuing to build up their power "and so we must closely follow developments."

Barkan further stated that the US had made two attempts in 2007 to "open a door for Syria," but that these were unsuccessful as Syria did not fulfill Washington's demands that it reduce its influence in Lebanon.

On the Iranian front, the ministry's assessment was that the nation was facing serious financial problems, adding that some cracks had begun to appear in the regime, although it was not clear how deep they ran.

Syria awaiting next US president

[Shammu]

Same song, different artist.......... Considering Syria's recent activities I doubt they have any interest in peace with Israel as much as a piece of Israel.

[Shammu]

Mubarak relays message from Syria to Barak

Senior Israeli official confirms Egyptian president passed on message from Syria's Bashar Assad to visiting Israeli defense minister

AFP
Published: 12.26.07, 21:59
Israel News

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday gave visiting Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak a message from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a senior Israeli defense ministry official said on Wednesday.

"Mubarak passed a message to Barak from the Syrian president," the official said on condition of anonymity after Barak returned to Israel following a day-long visit to Egypt. He did not elaborate.

Barak earlier told reporters that during his talks with Mubarak they had discussed several regional issues, including "Syria and Lebanon."

On Tuesday Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told visiting US lawmakers who were to visit Damascus later in the week that he was awaiting from Syria "a reply to Israeli peace overtures," another Israeli official said.

Over the past year, Israeli and Syrian leaders have both said they were open to restarting peace talks that have been stalled for seven years.

Olmert said in mid-September that he was ready for "direct negotiations with Syria, without preconditions." That was a week after Israeli warplanes bombed a mysterious target deep inside Syrian territory, which media reports said could have been a storage site for nuclear material.

Mubarak relays message from Syria to Barak

[Shammu]

Israel plans to drop Syria from 'radical axis' list
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
28/12/2007

The Foreign Ministry has placed the Syrian issue as one of its central objectives for 2008. A document published by the ministry states its intention to "formulate a strategic plan to remove Syria from the radical axis."

Senior officials in the Foreign Ministry indicated that there is still no clear program for reaching this goal, but that a list of ideas includes the distancing of Syria from Iran, Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorist organizations.

This objective is in line with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's recent "checking" with different Israel-Syria mediators to examine Damascus' willingness to start political negotiations with Israel.

The Foreign Ministry's list of objectives for 2008, which was approved this week by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, also includes promoting the Annapolis process, continuing the isolation of Hamas in the international arena, and improving the standard of living within the Gaza Strip.

Moreover, the plan calls for the normalization of relations with Arab countries and for the "opening of new channels of communication with countries with which Israel has no diplomatic relations."

The plan also states the importance of thwarting Iran's nuclear developments and assisting Jewish communities in distress.

Israel plans to drop Syria from 'radical axis' list

[nChrist]

Dreamweaver Said:

I think someone's trying to start something, without seeming like they are...... I think 2008 is gonna be a wild ride!!

Brother, I agree completely. WILD! could be an understatement.