Israel, Syria building up military presence along border
Pastor Dale Morgan
Israel, Syria building up military presence along border*
Escalating moves from both sides amid war warnings from Damascus' officials
Posted: July 23, 2007
News from Israel
GOLAN HEIGHTS – Israel has visibly beefed up its military presence here
in the Golan Heights while neighboring Syria reportedly has placed its
army on high alert and – for the first time in 30 years – has opened a
strategic border road to civilian traffic in a move some Israeli
security officials worry could help facilitate guerilla attacks against
Golani Jewish communities.
The escalating military moves on both sides come as a top official from
Syrian President Bashar Assad's Baath party warned in an interview if
Israel doesn't vacate the strategic Golan Heights by August or
September, Syrian guerrillas will launch "resistance operations" against
the Golan's Jewish communities.
The Golan Heights is strategic mountainous territory looking down on
Israeli population centers captured by Israel after Syria twice used the
territory to attack the Jewish state.
A tour of the Golan Heights yesterday found multiple Israeli army
positions local residents and soldiers stationed here say were
established within the past few weeks. More tanks have been patrolling
the area, with several tanks setting up shop in strategic positions
looking down on Syria. Makeshift military outposts have been erected and
Golan checkpoints fortified.
Several old Israeli Defense Forces military installations in the Golan
were reopened the last two months. According to local soldiers, the
installations have been largely unused since the 1980s.
In several Golan positions near the Syrian border, IDF tractors cleared
the way in recent weeks so that tanks can amass in the area if needed,
said soldiers stationed here.
On the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, multiple moves have been made
Israeli security officials say are "concerning."
The security officials confirmed the stepped-up military presence of
Syrian troops deployed near the Syrian side of the Golan Heights with
strengthened forces after carrying out increased training the past few
months. The security officials said Syria recently increased production
of rockets and acquired missiles capable of hitting central Israeli
population centers.
Last month, Syria removed a series of military checkpoints blocking off
a main Damascus-Golan road to the border town of Quneitra, opening the
road to civilian traffic for the first time since the 1967 Six Day War.
The road, visible from the Israeli side of the border, remained open to
civilians yesterday with no presence of the Syrian military.
At a ceremony at which the road was reopened for civilians, Quneitra's
governor, Nawaf al-Faris, a member of Assad's Baath party, gave a speech
explaining "resistance" works to restore land.
"The resistance is the guarantee to restore land, rights and facing
challenges and pressures to which the Arab nation is exposed," al-Faris
stated, according to Syria's SANA news agency.
Israeli security officials say they are concerned the road can be used
by militants seeking to attack the border area. One tank yesterday was
positioned on a hilltop directly facing the road.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a top Baath official said a new
purported guerrilla group called the Committees for the Liberation of
the Golan Heights has been training and is ready to attacks against
Jewish communities in the Golan in August or September.
The official said the Quneitra road is one of "many" routes in which the
Committees can infiltrate the Golan.
In an interview last week, the Baath official warned Syria was preparing
for war:
"More and more of our units have undergone intensive trainings starting
at 6 a.m. and finishing late into the evening. If the need arises, we
are ready for a war," said the official.
The official said Syria "learned from the Hezbollah experience last
summer and we can have hundreds of missiles hitting Tel Aviv that will
overwhelm Israel's anti-missile batteries."
He claimed Syria has "proof" Israel is also readying for a war.
"We hear about special Israeli trainings to take Damascus. We see that
Israel is re-establishing bases of the Israeli army in the Golan that
are unusual and not needed except for war. We believe the Israeli
government has an interest in confronting Syria to rehabilitate its
image of losing to Hezbollah," he said.
He said Syrian war preparations are so specific, the Syrian government
has given its officials and top contacts alternative phone numbers to
key government ministries in case the Damascus phone system is knocked
out during an Israeli aerial bombardment.
He warned Syria may launch eminent "resistance."
"Syria passed repeated messages to the U.S. that we demand the return of
the Golan either through negotiations or through war. If the Golan is
not in our hands by August or September, we will be poised to launch
resistance, including raids and attacks against Jewish positions (in the
Golan Heights)," the Baath official said.
Israel: Syrian war preparations serious
Israeli security officials confirmed Syria has been strengthening its
forces and noted the movement of Syrian Scud missiles near the border
with Israel.
The Syrian army has improved its fortifications, according to the
Israeli security officials, and has received modern, Russian-made
anti-tank missiles similar to the missiles that devastated Israeli tanks
during the last Lebanon war, causing the highest number of Israeli troop
casualties during the 34 days of military confrontations. Syria also
received from Russia advanced anti-aircraft missiles.
The security officials said any conflict with Syria could degenerate
into a larger war involving Hezbollah along Israel's northern border and
Palestinian terror groups launching attacks from Gaza in the south and
the West Bank toward the center of Israel.
The officials noted Syria stepped up the pace of weapons, including
rockets, being shipped from the Syrian border to the Lebanese Hezbollah
militia.
The security officials said the greatest threats Syria poses to the
Jewish state are the country's missiles and rockets. They noted Syria
recently test-fired two Scud-D surface-to-surface missiles, which have a
range of about 250 miles, covering most Israeli territory. The officials
said the Syrian missile test was coordinated with Iran and is believed
to have been successful. It is not known what type of warhead the
missiles had.
In addition to longer-range Scuds, Syria is in possession of
shorter-range missiles such as 220 millimeter and 305 millimeter
rockets, some of which have been passed on to Hezbollah.
Israel also has information Syria recently acquired and deployed
Chinese-made C-802 missiles, which were successfully used against the
Israeli navy during Israel's war against Hezbollah one year ago. The
missiles were passed to Syria by Iran, Israeli security officials said.
Israeli security officials said Syria is indeed preparing for a summer
war. But they said there was an argument within the Israeli intelligence
community whether the military buildup is for an attack or is meant by
Syria to pressure Israel into vacating the Golan Heights. Some officials
said Syria estimates the U.S. or Israel will attack Iran, and Syria will
be drawn into a larger military confrontation by opening up a front
against northern Israel. Also, the officials said, Syria may believe
Israel will attack first and its preparations are defensive in nature.
The Israeli army is not taking any chances. The Israel Defense Forces
last month reportedly carried out a mock attack on a "Syrian" village
during a major exercise in the Negev. The Israeli soldiers besieged and
occupied the village, designed to be similar to towns on the Syrian side
of the Golan. Similar war exercises were carried out in Israel the past
few months, including a mock attack on Damascus.
According to security officials, recent U.S. intelligence estimates also
predict a strong possibility of war between Israel and Syria in the
coming months.
Ahmadinejad: It's going to be a 'hot' summer
The reports of preparations for possible confrontations also come as
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned during a rare visit to
Syria last week that this summer will be "hot" and will bring defeat for
the "region's enemies."
"We hope that the hot weather of this summer would coincide with similar
victories for the region's peoples, and with consequent defeat for the
region‘s enemies," Ahmadinejad said, standing alongside Assad.
Ahmadinejad claimed unspecified "enemies of the region" have "plans to
attack the interests of this region." He urges those enemies to abandon
their war plans "or they would be burned by the wrath of the region's
peoples."
He described Syrian-Iranian relations as "amicable, excellent and
extremely deep," stating the two countries have common stands on
regional issues and face common enemies.