Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., December 12, 2007 Tevet 3, 5768 | | Israel Time: 08:03 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File Hanukkah

Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Sunday. (AP) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 00:49 11/12/2006 MI officer: Syria preparing its army for war with Israel By Gideon Alon and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents, and Agencies The head of the research division of Military Intelligence, Brigadier General Yossi Baidatz, said Sunday that Syrian President Bashar Assad is preparing for a war with Israel. He said that Assad has ordered increased production of long-range missiles and instructed the Syrian army to position its anti-tank missiles closer to the Syrian border with Israel, on the Golan Heights. But, Baidatz told the cabinet, while Assad is "preparing the Syrian army for the possibility of a military conflict with Israel, on the other hand, he is not ruling out the possibility of reaching a political settlement with Israel." Advertisement He stressed that in Assad's view, his actions on the military front do not contradict his actions in the political realm. "Assad is working in two parallel tracks," Baidatz said. "On the one hand he is not ruling out a diplomatic solution with Israel and on the other hand he is preparing his forces for military conflict." He added that the Syrian president has been conducting extensive diplomatic activity over the past two weeks. Baidatz said that Assad feels a window has been opened for peace talks on the international level, and he plans to take advantage of that opporunity. Baidatz also said that tensions in Iran have been rising in preparation for the United Nations Security Council's decision on whether to impose sanctions on the country. The decision is slated to be made by December 25. According to Baidatz, Iran is continuously operating in Lebanon to reinforce Hezbollah, while also working to strengthen Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian territories. On the issue of Lebanon, Baidatz said Hezbollah is planning to bring down Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government by conducting mass demonstrations and sit-in strikes in city squares. Hezbollah will turn to violence in their struggle only if the strikes and demonstrations fail, Baidatz said. Baidatz also said that certain signs indicate the rise of international Jihad forces in south Lebanon, especially in refugee camps. These forces aim to counter the multi-national force in the area. He told ministers that Al-Qaida was recruiting mainly in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. "There are major signs of a Global Jihad [al-Qaida] presence in Lebanon, especially the refugee camps, and one of their intentions is to attack the foreign peacekeepers," Baidatz was quoted as saying in the briefing. "They see the peacekeepers as symbols of the West." Baidatz also commented on the situation in Gaza, saying that the Palestinian security forces have deployed throughout the Gaza Strip, but their operations do not appear to be effective. On the opposing side, Hamas has begun operating in areas in which the organization has not been active in the past, such as the area that used to house the Gush Katif greenhouses, Baidatz said. He added that Hamas officials are working to boost their political power. Beiditz said that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has reached a political dead-end, explaining that the chairman is unable to reach an understanding with Hamas on the possibility of establishing a national unity government. IDF planning to be war-ready by summer A high-ranking source in the Israel Defense Forces said Sunday that the IDF is aiming to have reached a high level of preparedness on the northern front by next summer. In order to reach this target, military reserve units have conducted combat training with live ammunition over the last two months, and division level exercises based on a scenario of war in the north are planned for the next several months. The program is not in response to assessments by military intelligence, the source added. Hezbollah and Syria have not indicated that they are planning for a war next summer, he said. Concerns are growing, however, among IDF officials regarding Syria's continued shipment of arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon, although it seems the terror organization is not yet in possession of the kinds of missiles it had during the war. There is also a possibility that sources affiliated with global Jihad, who have been increasing their presence, will try to create provocations leading to war. The IDF has been extensively criticized over the level of training of ground troops and for its lack of preparedness during the July-August war with Hezbollah. Bookmark to del.icio.us Tehran threat Olmert delivered a rebuttal to the assessment that Iran halted its nukes program. More than war The UN has adopted an Israeli-proposed resolution in the field of economic development.   1.   There will be a war if Israel starts it 15:46  |  Natallie Durson 10/12/06   2.   Hizbulla will probably start a war 16:06  |  JG 10/12/06   3.   The other point of view 16:10  |  Adbul Hassan 10/12/06   4.   Siria 16:22  |  Dan 10/12/06   5.   Under the control of the Fuhrer 16:30  |  Brod 10/12/06   6.   Well it seems Israel wants to start a war 16:30  |  Lebanese in Canada 10/12/06   7.   Syria preparing its army for war with Israel ? 16:41  |  Yankelowitz 10/12/06   8.   Responsible 16:50  |  JJ 10/12/06   9.   Syria is going to have her ass kicked so bad 17:01  |  Joseph E . 10/12/06   10.   No kiddies (Natalie, Canuk, Yakelowitz, etc), it`s not a new war 17:03  |  David Teich 10/12/06   11.   Let`s Review 17:04  |  Larry Klein 10/12/06   12.   A blind man can see it 17:06  |  The Doctor 10/12/06   13.   # 2 JG 17:16  |  Nick Ferriman 10/12/06   14.   Syria is not in the stone age anymore 17:16  |  Woolwich Arsenal Boy 10/12/06   15.   Syrian 17:16  |  Saleh 10/12/06   16.   please peace 17:23  |  life 10/12/06   17.   Syria & Friends - Prepare to Die 17:29  |  Phil 10/12/06   18.   IS THIS INTELLIGENCE TRUE? WHAT ABOUT ........................... 17:34  |  THE JACKAL 10/12/06   19.   #14 Syria has moved up to early bronze age 17:35  |  Bob 10/12/06   20.   Plotting something nice 18:02  |  From the Moon 10/12/06   21.   #14--Same ole threats 18:03  |  ballistic 10/12/06   22.   History Lesson For David (#10) 18:16  |  Natallie Durson 10/12/06   23.   14 18:16  |  Ron 10/12/06   24.   # 17 "face the long arm of the IDF" 18:32  |  Axel 10/12/06   25.   with all the Israeli talk of war with Iran etc. 18:33  |  George 10/12/06   26.   #10 "It`s the same one Syria declared in `48 and which they`ve 18:40  |  George 10/12/06   27.   Whatever Syria Does... 18:45  |  Yosemite Sam 10/12/06   28.   their will be a war if Israel starts it,t 18:47  |  danny 10/12/06   29.   #14 Bob: "Israeli army sitting on the Golan Heights, 18:49  |  George 10/12/06   30.   attack of foreign peace keepers 19:00  |  freedom1 10/12/06   31.   SYRIA MUST BE TAKEN APART, AND BASHAR ASAD JAILED LIKE SADAM 19:00  |  Law and Order 10/12/06   32.   let the arabs destroy eachother 19:02  |  superswede 10/12/06   33.   Syria 19:18  |  Dan 10/12/06   34.   to #1 19:25  |  jamie 10/12/06   35.   good luck dan. i hope you have a big appitite 19:28  |  George 10/12/06   36.   For whom is war good, vs peace? 19:28  |  Ben-Levi 10/12/06   37.   How to deal with Syria 19:32  |  Tosefta 10/12/06   38.   Irony 19:39  |  Mazen 10/12/06   39.   Armageddon 19:42  |  Lloyd 10/12/06   40.   Assad is bluffing to get the Golan 19:43  |  zionist forever 10/12/06   41.   jamie 19:44  |  Ernie 10/12/06   42.   Syrian government has better chance to be toppled 19:44  |  Sal 10/12/06   43.   No supirse here 19:52  |  Danite 10/12/06   44.   Enough of the Blame Game, Who will Stop It? 20:15  |  Adam 10/12/06   45.   #42 sal - Syrian govt has better chamcs ....... 20:20  |  tbora 10/12/06   46.   Israel Setting up Syria? 20:23  |  David Torres 10/12/06   47.   The writing has been on the wall. Israel is being surrounded 20:24  |  BradL 10/12/06   48.   George#35 20:33  |  Dan 10/12/06   49.   Spelling mistake 20:52  |  Chad 10/12/06   50.   Talkback 20:52  |  Ken 10/12/06   51.   Nobody sells fear like the Americans... Except for the Israelis 20:58  |  John from Canada 10/12/06   52.   BradL 20:58  |  rich 10/12/06   53.   to Tosefta (#37) 21:00  |  imad 10/12/06   54.   John from Canada 21:33  |  Michael 10/12/06   55.   # 47 BradL 21:36  |  Swiss (Dino) 10/12/06   56.   Syria in the stone age? 21:39  |  Ilan 10/12/06   57.   and why not? 21:43  |  justiceseeker 10/12/06   58.   To # 50 LMAO 21:50  |  Yankelowitz 10/12/06   59.   why is natallie durson saying all these terrible 21:53  |  becky sharpe 10/12/06   60.   bore of the month 21:55  |  winnie 10/12/06   61.   natallie durson 22:02  |  samson konowitz 10/12/06   62.   woolwich boy 22:05  |  ali g 10/12/06   63.   israel is the root of all evil 22:08  |  ali g 10/12/06   64.   give up the golan says woolwich boy 22:10  |  ali g 10/12/06   65.   #30 Attack on peacekeepers 22:11  |  Michael H. 10/12/06   66.   woolwich boy 22:12  |  ali g 10/12/06   67.   stupid leaders 22:14  |  Gerben Vogel 10/12/06   68.   the brilliant reasoning of woolwich boyo 22:17  |  ali g 10/12/06   69.   to Natallie Durson # 22 22:22  |  Ilya 10/12/06   70.   to tbora, LOL 22:34  |  the pope 10/12/06   71.   Syria preparing its army for war with Israel 22:40  |  Aaron Cohen 10/12/06   72.   Preparing for War//// 22:56  |  Joe 10/12/06   73.   Assad`s only doing tthe sensible thing 23:04  |  Michael 10/12/06   74.   #40 Zionist forever is dreaming if he thinks Assad is bluffing 23:13  |  Johnboy 10/12/06   75.   The power ow the wicked 23:14  |  Dag 10/12/06   76.   Samson Factor:We learned Fr Lebanon. Iran is on front burner... 23:15  |  Pablo 10/12/06   77.   The Good Ole Days 23:16  |  Guy From NYC 10/12/06   78.   syria 23:28  |  doug 10/12/06   79.   No intelligence in this MI 23:31  |  Paulo 10/12/06   80.   As if Israeli intelligence knows any thing RIGHT ??? 23:32  |  M. Segal 10/12/06   81.   #9,10:Bravado is cheap.War with SYRIA IS no picnic 23:34  |  Wise Syrian 10/12/06   82.   re: Joseph E #9 23:36  |  Paulo 10/12/06   83.   SYRIA IS FINISHED, IT IS THE DESTINY OF THIS SHORT LIVED "NATION 23:42  |  Factual nut 10/12/06   84.   Israel v. Syria 00:18  |  TRUTH SEEKER 11/12/06   85.   to woolwich arsenal boy 00:36  |  Leafs Boy 11/12/06   86.   A short history of peace negotiations with Syria 00:38  |  Tosefta 11/12/06   87.   Nothing new 00:42  |  Omar 11/12/06   88.   Go Syria & Go Iran! 00:49  |  Dutch Dirk 11/12/06   89.   Palestine is first on global agenda... 00:49  |  Guess who 11/12/06   90.   What`s wrong in talking.............. 01:07  |  PAX 11/12/06   91.   to dutch dirk 01:29  |  Leafs Boy 11/12/06   92.   What do you expect 01:36  |  A 11/12/06   93.   THERE WILL NEVER BE, AND MUST NEVER BE A "PALESTINIAN STATE" 01:49  |  Look in the mirror 11/12/06   94.   TO GUESS WHO 01:57  |  Nicole 11/12/06   95.   Syrian army should be preparing for meteor showers 01:57  |  Joe 11/12/06   96.   The security Dilemma and the Table 01:58  |  Chuck 11/12/06   97.   Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It`s off to war we go! 02:31  |  Johnboy 11/12/06   98.   Natalie Durson#22 History lesson for you 02:38  |  Yariv 11/12/06   99.   War with Syria 02:57  |  Rick S. 11/12/06   100.   The Next War - Destroy the Enemy 02:58  |  J 11/12/06   101.   "THE IDF PLANNING TO BE WAR READY BY SUMMER" 03:05  |  Maureen Ann 11/12/06   102.   arabs, please target Tel Aviv in next war. 03:24  |  meryem 11/12/06   103.   Ready to fight 03:32  |  Gordon 11/12/06   104.   same 04:20  |  JEFF 11/12/06   105.   To much power 04:23  |  smurf 11/12/06   106.   SAME 04:26  |  JEFF 11/12/06   107.   Danny 04:30  |  jeff 11/12/06   108.   golan 04:32  |  jeff 11/12/06   109.   damascus 04:36  |  jeff 11/12/06   110.   syria 04:39  |  jeff 11/12/06   111.   Syria Not Planning a War 04:41  |  Wiseone 11/12/06   112.   jamie 04:41  |  jeff 11/12/06   113.   Why "WAR" and Not "PEACE" 04:44  |  Emman 11/12/06   114.   for whom 04:47  |  jeff 11/12/06   115.   Leb 04:50  |  jeff 11/12/06   116.   the bomb 04:54  |  jeff 11/12/06   117.   syria 05:01  |  jeff 11/12/06   118.   Peace 05:03  |  No name 11/12/06   119.   john from canada 05:16  |  jeff 11/12/06   120.   #89 PAX, the problem with talking is this... 05:22  |  Johnboy 11/12/06   121.   harririje 05:22  |  jeff 11/12/06   122.   #80 Wise Syrian 06:00  |  Daniel 11/12/06   123.   The war with Israel 06:02  |  Marcus Alfonso 11/12/06   124.   What is there to gain? 06:20  |  Michael N 11/12/06   125.   TO CREATE A MORE SOLID IDF 07:12  |  indrajaya 11/12/06   126.   meryem from istanbul,turkey: Think about turkish sin-ARMENIANS!! 07:18  |  Vittorio 11/12/06   127.   Arabs offering peace talks? 07:36  |  Christian Zionist 11/12/06   128.   Syria must prepare for war to liberate Golan Heights 08:19  |  Abu Hamra 11/12/06   129.   Natallie Just Pick One Side Or The Other! 09:09  |  Yosemite Sam 11/12/06   130.   G-d is sending another plague to teach a lesson to sinners 09:54  |  dwayne 11/12/06   131.   Get your facts straight 10:23  |  Grafted Wild Olive 11/12/06   132.   G_D 12:01  |  william 11/12/06   133.   To#127 Christian Zionist : Lets wipe off Christian zionists 1st ! 12:04  |  Yankelowitz 11/12/06   134.   To # 130 Dwayne : Then finally, Armagueddon with Iran ! LMAO 12:08  |  Yankelowitz 11/12/06   135.   To # 131 Grafted Wild Olive : You better leave your book... 12:10  |  Yankelowitz 11/12/06   136.   act your size 12:17  |  Armando Varges 11/12/06   137.   peace 12:21  |  Armando Varges 11/12/06   138.   137: Vargas, if you really want peace 14:21  |  David Teich 11/12/06   139.   One thing people forget.. 14:27  |  Marc 11/12/06   140.   SYRIA PREPARING FOR WAR WITH ISRAEL 16:30  |  JOE 11/12/06   141.   Syria 16:43  |  Stefanovitj 11/12/06   142.   Long time waiting for a rematch? 22:50  |  Paul 11/12/06   143.   another war ho hum 01:08  |  bert 12/12/06   144.   And after US/Israel saber rattling you expected what? 04:40  |  S. Charles 12/12/06   145.   Israel 21:43  |  james 12/12/06   146.   Real Lebanese against Hezbollah 05:18  |  Abdul 13/12/06   147.   where do you get off 08:14  |  josh 13/12/06   148.   #14 Syria is not ....... 16:06  |  James 13/12/06   149.   re#139 15:32  |  Rob 24/12/06   150.   Syria has more bombs.... 17:26  |  Braheem 29/12/06   151.   syria 17:12  |  Randy 08/06/07

Today Online B. Burston: Hamas - If we can kill them, we can talk to them Responses: 221 8 Palestinians killed, 4 IDF soldiers hurt in Gaza raids Responses: 314 Editorial: Yes to Israeli concessions in Jerusalem Responses: 198 Rosner's Guest: Israel's enemies don't just want Jerusalem Responses: 49 Moshe Arens: The new post-Zionists - Olmert and Livni Responses: 73 U.K. pledges $500M in aid to PA if peace process successful Responses: 79 Rosner's Domain American Jews are losing interest in Israel Guest: redivision of Jerusalem will lead to terrible bloodshed A more traditional Reform movement (WTR) Republicans reacted much better to the NIE on Iran More Headlines 07:43 Olmert vows to remove Qassam rocket threat 06:26 Hamas urges PA to boycott Israel talks in wake of IDF Gaza raid 07:38 Civil Administration chief: 100s of units approved in disputed areas 07:21 Police: N.Y. subway riders beaten after 'Happy Hanukkah' greeting 07:22 Survey: U.S. Jews are losing interest in Israel 07:46 Palestinian UN envoy slams General Assembly adoption of Israeli resolution 05:13 Talks to end teachers' strike break down at 11th hour 07:20 Cellcom to launch on-board phone, Web functions on Air France flights 05:38 Channel 10 to launch Israeli version of reality TV show 'Survivor' Previous Editions Select Day 11 dec 10 dec 09 dec 07 dec 06 dec 05 dec 04 dec 03 dec 02 dec 30 nov 29 nov 28 nov

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