Last update - 00:00 22/03/2007
Report: Israel does not want to weaken Syrian President Assad
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
Israel is not interested in weakening Syrian President Bashar Assad because it does not know whether his replacement would present superior diplomatic alternatives, French sources were quoted as saying in a report published Thursday by the London-based Al-Hayat daily.
The sources were also quoted as saying that Israel perceives Assad as weak, but is not interested in confronting Syria, out of fear that intervention would alter the political situation there.
According to the report, Israeli and French officials have carried out assessments recently of the situation in Syria and Lebanon. The sources said that Israel has complained to France that Hezbollah is rehabilitating its forces with the blessing of the Lebanese government.
In response to these complaints, said the sources, France has insisted that the decision to replenish Hezbollah's capabilities is a matter of Syrian policy.
The French sources also stated that there are differing opinions amongst international authorities on the issue of Syria, adding that as the U.S. withdraws further away from Assad, Israel remains more interested in letting him remain in power, at least for the near future.
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