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Syrian President Bashar Assad. (AP)
Last update - 12:02 17/04/2008
Report: Assad says Syria preparing for possible war with Israel
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Syria, Hezbollah, Israel 

Hezbollah's TV station Al-Manar reported on Thursday that Syrian President Bashar Assad has said that Syria is preparing for war with Israel as a real possibility.

Assad noted, speaking at a conference in Damascus, however, that he did not expect a conflict between the two states to break out under the current circumstances.

The Syria president also denounced Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's speech in Qatar on Monday, where she stated that a struggle is being fought between moderates and extremists, with the latter attempting to prevent an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal from being reached.
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According to Assad, the United States and Israel wish to turn Iran into the enemy of the Arab states. He emphasized that while mistakes may have been made over the supervision of Iranian policies and interests, this cannot be interpreted as meaning Iran is an enemy of the Arab world.

Assad's comments came after recent heightened tensions with Syria, sparked by media reports of Syria having mobilized its reserve forces.

Israel Defense Forces Military Intelligence officials subsequently rejected the reports, but did state that there were signs of "nervousness" and alertness on the Syrian Golan Heights - signs that also appeared last spring and continued into the summer.



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      1.   Assad, stop preparing for war 09:52  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 17/04/08
      2.   Assad tries diplomacy 10:07  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 17/04/08
      3.   Yawn...zzz.... 10:12  |  The Judge 17/04/08
      4.   Assad must be reading my posts 10:15  |  Natallie Durson 17/04/08
      5.   HOW very revealing"Supervision of Iranian policies and interests" 10:24  |  PETER SM 17/04/08
      6.   Assads understandable concerns 10:25  |  Swiss (Dino) 17/04/08
      7.   WHOEVER ATTACK FIRST 10:40  |  indrajaya 17/04/08
      8.   Zipor Ktana - U R an IDIOT - Assad Offered REAL PEACE 10:47  |  Time and Again 17/04/08
      9.   Zipor Ktana - U R an IDIOT - Assad Offered REAL PEACE 10:47  |  Time and Again 17/04/08
      10.   HEY SWISS DINO ! hav hav hav 11:03  |  HAV HAV HAV 17/04/08
      11.   Syria 11:08  |  Sami 17/04/08
      12.   To "The Judge"!!!!!!!!!! BE WARNED 11:09  |  Tony 17/04/08
      13.   Assad and Natalie 11:31  |  Gabe 17/04/08
      14.   #12, If all are preparing for war, then they all expect war 11:36  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 17/04/08
      15.   Assad can avoid war 11:41  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 17/04/08
      16.   Nazilie Durson 11:46  |  Nik Miller 17/04/08
      17.   HAARETZ ! YOU ARE SERIOUSLY WORKING ON ME !!! I FEEL THIS 11:47  |  I HATE YOU 17/04/08
      18.   Who kids who? 11:56  |  thomas 17/04/08
      19.   Cipora Julianna Kohn 12:11  |  Said 17/04/08
      20.   Tony`s `warning` (LOL).... 12:13  |  The Judge 17/04/08
      21.   #7 Indra 12:14  |  MR 17/04/08
      22.   And what about the Romans? 12:14  |  Marco 17/04/08
      23.   indrajaya - Learn your history before making stupid comments.... 12:16  |  a 17/04/08
      24.   Indrajaya`s usual ranting nonsense 12:22  |  The Judge 17/04/08
      25.   #8-9 vs Cipora 12:25  |  MR 17/04/08
      26.   you forgot to mention 12:26  |  Marco 17/04/08
      27.   Nat Durson talks sense 12:29  |  The Prince 17/04/08
      28.   strategic error 12:35  |  Marco 17/04/08
      29.   SWISS He just admitted he acts with"destroy Israel" Iran" 12:49  |  17/04/08
      30.   Hey Dino, My Brother ...I truly apologise 13:03  |  ... 17/04/08
      31.   To MR 13:14  |  The Judge 17/04/08
      32.   Didn`t Israel declare war on Syria last September? 13:23  |  Stephen of New York 17/04/08
      33.   What`s new?Isn`t israel always preparing some aggression or 13:27  |  lakshmi 17/04/08
      34.   No Arab or Persian leader will go to war...! 13:35  |  Stephen. 17/04/08
      35.   to #1 Cipora; Israel stop preparing for war 13:47  |  Oetis 17/04/08
      36.   he is saying the reverse of the headline 13:52  |  r 17/04/08
      37.   LAKSHMI the headline actually says Syria preparing for war 13:56  |  PETER SM 17/04/08
      38.   THE PRINCE how do you know that? 13:58  |  PETER SM 17/04/08
      39.   OETIS if you want to avert war stop arming terrorists to do your 14:08  |  PETER SM 17/04/08
      40.   #31 The Judge 14:24  |  MR 17/04/08
      41.   #32 Stephen of New York 14:35  |  MR 17/04/08
      42.   #35 Oetis 14:42  |  MR 17/04/08
      43.   # 30 Attilia 14:45  |  Swiss (Dino) 17/04/08
      44.   Syria has NO Friends! 14:49  |  FOX 17/04/08
      45.   MR tells i like it is 15:03  |  The Judge 17/04/08
      46.   #27 prince 15:03  |  ka 17/04/08
      47.   Who`s calling the shots? 15:06  |  Walter 17/04/08
      48.   IF Syria and Iran don´t want Israel to stretch her borders 15:10  |  AliciaYasmeen 17/04/08
      49.   #33 lakshmi that`s tiresome 15:13  |  Walter 17/04/08
      50.   #33 lakshmi that`s tiresome pt. 2 15:16  |  Walter 17/04/08
      51.   #43 Swiss (Dino) Q for you 15:18  |  Jakon 17/04/08
      52.   Should make good telly 15:38  |  Chris Linthwaite 17/04/08
      53.   CIPORA HAG SAMAYAH TO YOU 15:49  |  DANNY. 17/04/08
      54.   Preparing for possible war -meaning what? 15:50  |  Anne 17/04/08
      55.   War will bring nothing. 15:53  |  Abdul Aziz Higazi 17/04/08
      56.   Christ Jesus 16:02  |  roger wallace 17/04/08
      57.   Assad Still Trying To Win Popularity Contest 16:02  |  Yosemite 17/04/08
      58.   37 Peter SM,the meaning is clear.Syria expects israel to attack 16:11  |  lakshmi 17/04/08
      59.   Alas the time of the Assyrian King 16:14  |  Tim 17/04/08
      60.   #12 `Tony` in the desert 16:17  |  John Allen 17/04/08
      61.   boomb boomb boomb boomb!! 16:23  |  John Lee Hooker 17/04/08
      62.   Expect a war in 2009 16:48  |  Tosefta 17/04/08
      63.   Iran and its servile ally Syria. 16:49  |  Jean Van Daem 17/04/08
      64.   Remember Sadat in 1973 16:50  |  "What`s in a name" 17/04/08
      65.   Israel DEFENDING itself (again) 16:55  |  Mike Steele 17/04/08
      66.   Looks like God is setting this up 17:08  |  American Christian 17/04/08
      67.   Israeli flag will hang in Damascus 17:16  |  kobi 17/04/08
      68.   Natalie and her post 17:50  |  Marc 17/04/08
      69.   #45 The Judge 17:53  |  MR 17/04/08
      70.   Assad Ok Haaretz gave you your 5 min. of fame 18:14  |  Dish It Out 17/04/08
      71.   To Abdul #55 from Jeda 18:16  |  FOX 17/04/08
      72.   Natalie you ignore outcries period ref #4 18:27  |  Robert/Montreal