IDF prepared for attack by Syria
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...cle%2FShowFull
By YAAKOV KATZ
7/30/2006
While Israel is not interested in opening a front against Syria, if President Bashar Assad decides to attack Israel, the IDF will respond harshly and with its full might, a high-raking IDF officer in the Northern Command told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
"We are continuing with our message that we are not interested in fighting with Syria," the officer said, "But we are fully prepared for a Syrian attack, in the case of which we will strike back extremely hard."
The IDF officer said he believed Syria has been receiving the clear message Israel has been sending its way that Israel does not want to fight Syria. Whatever happened on border was completely dependent on Assad, the officer said. "It is up to him, and at the moment we don't know what he plans to do."
He said that Saturday's IAF attack on a road that led from Syria into Lebanon near the border was meant to thwart attempts to smuggle weapons from Syria into Lebanon.
The IDF is also concerned about a possible Syrian attack on Israel in response to the ongoing IDF operations in Lebanon. It is also known that Syria has increased its alert along the border out of fear in Damascus that Israel might attack Syria.
Defense officials told the Post last week that they were receiving indications from the United States that the US would be interested in seeing Israel attack Syria.
Reply With Quote
