Last update - 00:00 15/08/2007
IDF general: Syrian army signaling Damascus does not want war
IDF GOC Northern Command Gadi Eizenkot said that the Syrian military is trying to send Israel the message that it is not interested in confrontation.
"The Syrian army is trying to calm the sector down," said Eizenkot, during a visit to the Northern Command by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. "Syria is taking action in the field that is designed to signal to Israel that it is not interested in escalation."
Meanwhile, Israel has learned that Damascus has recently received a new missile system, as part of a process of strengthening its army that has been ongoing in recent months.
Barak observed an Israel Defense Forces exercise in the Golan Heights on Wednesday, and reiterated his belief that he does not foresee an upcoming war with Syria.
"Israel does not want war, and by our assessment, neither does Syria," said Barak. "Therefore, there is no need for a war here."
Barak implored the media to take measures to assuage Syrian fears about an impending war, and to dissuade them from thinking that IDF exercises in the North are part of preparations for such an event.
Barak told the media, "The last five years we did not train sufficiently and it is our steadfast intent to thoroughly train every unit of the IDF. The training grounds of Israel are in the Golan Heights and the Negev, and on these grounds we will continue to train our forces to be ready for any test that may arise."
In an effort to forestall the possibility of a miscalculation leading to war, Syrian and Israeli leaders sent calming messages to each other Tuesday.
Syrian Vice President Farouk Shara said that Damascus does not intend to initiate war, a message that was echoed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
"Israel is not interested in war with Syria, but we are preparing for any eventuality," Olmert told officers during a visit to Northern Command headquarters Tuesday.
"Israel knows that we do not wish for war," said Shara, speaking at a press conference in Damascus. "We will always be ready to respond to Israeli aggression, but we will not initiate war."
All of Syria's military preparations are defensive, Shara asserted, and accused Israel of "looking for an excuse to start a war."
"People on Syria's streets do not want war, although they will not accept anything less than Israeli withdrawal from the whole of the occupied Golan Heights. The Arab initiative is clear in this regard and we support it," Shara said, referring to an Arab League plan that calls for Israel to withdraw from all territories captured in 1967 in return for peace.
Shara said that this is the option Syria has chosen, but ominously noted that Damascus also has "other options."
Regarding his country's close ties with Iran, Shara said that the relationship is strategic, but stressed that it is "not blind."
Barak and Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi joined Olmert's visit to the North, as did Major General Amos Yadlin, the head of Military Intelligence. Yadlin stressed that "Syria is not planning to initiate a war, but the scenario of a possible miscalculation is still relevant."
Both Olmert and Barak called on Northern Command officers to bring "calm" to the front and avoid steps that might create confusion on the Syrian side.
The deputy defense minister, Matan Vilnai, also said Tuesday that Syria has no interest in war with Israel.
"Israel, too, has no interest in war. The tension is natural, but unnecessary," he added during a visit to the village of Ghajar, on the border with Lebanon.
Sources in the Prime Minister's Bureau said that Tuesday's visit to Northern Command had been preplanned and was not related to the escalating tensions.
These tensions have been fueled in part by the Israel Defense Forces' intensive training exercises, which are part of its rehabilitation program following the Second Lebanon War, as well as by the massive rearmament of the Syrian armed forces with sophisticated, primarily Russian-made arms.
Despite the Syrian rearmament, Yadlin was firm in his assessment that there are no indications that Damascus is planning an attack against Israel. The MI chief argued that war is currently not in Syria's interest.
As such, the defense establishment is primarily concerned that war may be triggered by miscalculation.
Senior defense officials told Haaretz that the situation on the Syrian front is likely to become clearer in the near future.