Sunday, March 11, 2007

Syria deploying missiles near the Golan Heights?

Or not?

Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - Israeli military officials gave conflicting reports at the weekend regarding possible hostile Syrian military deployments near the Golan Heights.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to the Agence France-Presse, three Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers and two Israeli government officials said that "hundreds, possibly thousands" of medium- and long-range missiles had been moved by Syria in recent weeks to put them in range of major Israeli population centers.

And here:
Quoting three Israeli military and two government sources, the French news agency AFP reports the Syrian army has accelerated its deployment of medium and long-range rockets capable of striking major towns across northern Israel.
And here:
Night Watch: DAMASCUS - Debka intelligence sources in Washington and Jerusalem report that Syria - Iran are taking steps to cause the next round of fighting against Israel intended to spread beyond southern Lebanon into the Golan Heights, the area seized by Israel from Syria in June 1967. For the third time in two days Syria President Bashar al-Assad has criticized the positioning of UNFIL forces along the Syrian-Lebanese border to prevent the rearming of Hezbollah. Assad has declared such proposals a hostile act directed at Damascus and has threatened to close the border to foreign forces, preventing their deployment and the UN peace mission. [DEBKA]

Debka also reported that on Wednesday an Iranian official announced the emergence, in Syria, of a new Islamic militant unit, designed to attack the Israel Defence Force (IDF) in Golan, in the same way Hezbollah did in south Lebanon. No timetable was given for the attacks but already Israel has engaged in some artilllery shelling into the Shebaa farms area where Israel, Lebanon and Syria meet. Intelligence reports indicate that, according to the next round scenario, Syria is to engage in border skirmishes with the IDF which is probably why, just before the ceasefire, the news mentioned Syrian tanks already positioned on the Golan border, while Hezbollah is to resume attacks against IDF positions in southern Lebanon.

Here is a list of the things that Syria is doing:

Just two weeks before a crucial meeting between Syria and the US in Baghdad, Iraq's Ambassador to the UN says Syria is doing everything it can to protect the border with Iraq.

It has been a frequent American accusation that Syria isn't doing enough.

But Hamid Al Bayati praised Syria for stopping attackers crossing the border. He says other countries now need to do their bit to help: "[Syria] expected at the beginning for the Americans to give such [surveillance equipment including night vision cameras]. They said that the Americans didn't give them such equipment, so they can't guard the borders," he said.

America accuses Syria, while Iraq praises Syria but says America needs to pull its weight. Sound familiar?

Refugees in Syria - UN praises Syria for taking one million Iraqi refugees...but asks America to pull its weight.

Hariri inquiry - UN praises Syria's "full co-operation"...but says 10 countries have blocked the inquiry (thought to include America).

Peace with Israel - Israel says it wants to talk to Syria, Syria says it wants to talk to Israel...but America blocks peace talks.
And the talks in Baghdad between Syria and the US? Nothing.

The talks between Iran and the US? Apparently each blamed the other for the Iraq war:

March 11 (Bloomberg) -- Delegates from Iran and the U.S. blamed each other for the conflict in Iraq at a conference in Baghdad aimed at forging international cooperation on steps to end the killings and attacks in the country.

The one-day meeting, which included representatives of 14 governments and three multinational organizations, provided an unusual opportunity for the U.S. to discuss Iraqi violence directly with two Middle East adversaries: Syria and Iran.


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