The Pentagon is worried by Syria's 'rising self-confidence'
The Pentagon believes that Syria's influence over events in Lebanon has increased in recent weeks.
By Shmuel RosnerWASHINGTON - The U.S. administration is troubled by what a senior Defense Department official termed "a rise in Syria's self-confidence."
The official, who spoke with Haaretz Thursday, expressed frustration over the fact that the United States, Israel and the international community have been unable until now to persuade Syrian President Bashar Assad to change his behavior. He attributed this failure to the fact that "thus far, no real pressure has been applied to Syria by any of the parties."
The official, who termed Syria's rising self-confidence "a problem for everyone," said that there had been chances to influence Syria, "but they were missed."
Regarding Israel's decision to leave Syria out of the current fighting in Lebanon, he said: "I don't want to say what my opinion of this decision is."
The Pentagon believes that Syria's influence over events in Lebanon has increased in recent weeks, and the Bush administration is very worried by this, since it viewed Syria's ouster from Lebanon last year as a significant achievement.
The U.S. views Syria as a destabilizing force in the region on three counts: It has not prevented terrorists from entering Iraq via Syria; it has not closed down the Damascus offices of Palestinian rejectionist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad; and it continues to intervene in Lebanon's internal affairs.
In recent weeks, the Bush administration has come under pressure from former senior officials, media pundits and allied diplomats to reopen its dialogue with Syria. Six months ago, the U.S. recalled its ambassador from Damascus and has not yet returned him. But Washington does not want to involve Syria in the current Lebanese crisis without a significant change in its behavior, since, in the words of a senior administration official, "that would be an open invitation to the Syrians to resume interfering in events in Lebanon."
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Nations need to rise against these radical islamic nations. They will not stop untill everyone converts to islam....
Amen, Brother!!!!!!!! Keep an eye on th e sky!!!!!
It looks like serenity has been reading the wrong book. Islam forces their beliefs on people. God gives people the choice of either receiving the "FREE" gift of salvation through the blood of Jesus or rejecting it. I will pray for those like you, serenity, however if you do not accept Jesus, i will not demand that you be beheaded.
So how do you call the issue of the current war btw Hizboolah and IDF if not a defeat? I'm afraid you won't wake up until the day Israel will already be wiped out of the ME. I'll give less than ten year before radically changing your behavior with your neighbours if you are planning to stay there. Nobody, absolutely nobody will be able to help you. You have to rely on yourselves and the way you've dealing during millenia. If you want to confront Islam militarily, we will be forced to crush you like an ant which is not what we want to do. If you think the Muslim world will be defeated, you just don't know what you're talking about. No nation on Earth can impress the Muslim now that they are waking up from a long long sleep. China and India started to change the face of the world, Islam will dramatically and forever confirm that the West is not anymore in charge alone. You've chosen the wrong horse but it's still time to reverse the events.
Are you saying Bashar Assad is an experienced fighter? I don't think so,nor is the Syrian Army. Assad himself looks like a product of to much inbreeding.
You've got to be kidding. The Syrians want nothing more than the destruction of Israel. It has nothing to do with the Golan Heights or Gaza or land of any kind. It simply is a matter of hatred,period. But let's look at giving land back. Israel gave Gaza back, terrorist move in closer with rockets. Give Golan Heights back, guess what comes next. Yes, think about the next generation,that is exactley why terrorism must be dealt with where ever it is.
Dale, you are so very, very correct. In June of 1967, Israel defeated Egypt, then Jordon and then Syria in just six days without the use of any weapons of mass desturction. These three countries were aided by at least five more Arab countrie. Israel has not lost a war since becoming a nation in 1948, and that is not going to change now.
That is a typical mentality of an Islamist-Jihadist. They are full of violence and hatred. They live in a dark world of self-destructions and perversions. They are driven to self-destruction so that they can fulfill their fantasy of having 70 mansions with 70 virgins to satisfy their perversions. The fact is, contrary to their popular belief that this will take them to paradise, this will actually lead them to HELL. The Holy Bible says that the wages of sin is DEATH--Eternal Death.
For years, the necon US administration called Syria part of the Axis of Evil and only communicated by press releases and sound bites. Then they gave Israel the green light for an offensive into Lebanon, against Hezbollah, which only bolsters the standing of Hezbollah and thus of its patron Syria. At last they rediscover some ancient art, only practiced by those "weak French" and other pussy Europeans: diplomacy!
The Pentagon should be worried. The West and the Free World should be worried. Israel should be worried. Why? Because before the war, Saddam spirited out truckloads of WMD--Chemical and Biological arsenal to Syria. You can read all about it in "Saddam's Secrets" [2006] by Georges Sada, former Iraqi General. This book is brilliant, powerful, riveting and revealing. Sada knows all the hidden secrets that no Westerners have ever known. It is time for the West to closely scrutinize and defang Syria and Iran before a WMD explodes in their midst by such fanatical regimes. The world must NEVER allow any WMD in the hands of terrorists and fanatical, dictatorial regimes. Iran's fanatical Ayatollahs have announced to the world their evil intention of annihilating Israel. And they have mentioned August 21,2006. Could this be the explosion of their nuke? Or, could they be unleashing their ICBMs at Israel, Europe and American interests in the Middle East around that date?
Things seemed a heck of a lot more stable in the Middle East before the US decided to wage an unprovoked war on Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9=11 or terror....
There are no personal problems that cannot be solved through suitable application of high explosives. It's a fact!
The neo-con defense department official obviously doesn't know the definition of chutzpah. If they are "frustrated" over their inability to change Syria's behavior, maybe they should look in the mirror. They refuse to talk to Syria and then are frustrated that they can't change things. Unbelievable.
The not so subtle threats against Syria are dangerous. Don't forget that we have 150,000 troops bogged down in Iraq. Under any circumstance we cannot open up another front against them. Apparently Israel miscalculated this time and their 'invinciple Goliath syndrome' has taken quite a dent. A crowd of South Lebanese hill farmers are keeping the IDF at bay and the IDF hates to incur casualties
To cesare,and to all other friends.. Syria is the key in the middle east conflict, the price that should be payed to syria for a comprehesive and durable peace comes from syrian pocket, I mean the golan heights. Syrian people support the confrontation with israel as long as the Golan heights are kidnapped, once these heights are given back to Syria, Israel will find not a friend in the middle east better than the Syria people. so please think about the new genertaion, just think about our and your children, peace, peace, peace
Bush and Olmert want, the big Boss of Bush and Olmert want first the #New middle east" and then the #New world order" and a "One world government"
You obviously dont know anything about military tactics or warfare. Syria would be crushed like they have been crushed on countless other occasions. The thought of Syria even coming close to a victory over Israel humors me.
If Israel attacks Syria, the Syrians would win. They just have to mobilize, dig in and refuse to quit. Evenutally, they would win through sheer weight of numbers, although the war would be bloodbath on both sides. Each Syrian city would be a Stalingrad, while the threat of Iranian intervention would keep the USA out. Even now the IDF fears to get too close to the Syrian border. Unlike Iraq, the Syrian Army is intact, and Syria has WMDs that would make Israel pay dearly for a nuclear attack. But, the Syrians are not aggressive, they are offering a fair peace, and Syria also fears Israel. Now is the time to end this madness, and make a lasting peace in the whole region.
Syria has offered Israel land for peace many times, all Arab countries have without response from Israel. Few days ago Saudi Arabia repeated this offer. Israel must choose for its civilian?s peace without occupied territories or occupation without peace. You can't have both.
Syrian rising self-confidence is probably due to the huge number of rockets they possess which can target Tel-Aviv as well as the rest of Israel. Golan Heights are now superfluous in making Israel vulnerable.
US vs IRAQ = IRAN WIN ISRAEL vs LEBABON = SYRIA WIN Conclusion: Do you want to win a war with US and Israel? Lets someelse do it for you. Don't do it yourself, you'll be destroyed. The rest of it is only technical things to be arranged.
... their recent defense pact. Syria would love to get this stretch of strategic land back without having to acquire it through a peace treaty with Israel. However, if Syria had behaved responsibly in these strategic heights before June 1967 and not shelled the vulnerable kibbutzim below, the Golan would still be in their possession. Perhaps Syria has been caught up in Ahmadinejad's hyped oratory and envisions a scenario where Iran overpowers Israel in a future conflict and then hands over the Golan back. Syria must have been offered a lot of incentives (especially oil and military support) by Iran to stay allied with it and to provide a land bridge for the supply of its proxy Hezbollah along Israel's border. However, Assad's emboldened stance against Israel is still tempered with the great losses and humiliation Syria suffered in their past confrontations.
"The official, who termed Syria's rising self-confidence "a problem for everyone," said that there had been chances to influence Syria, "but they were missed."" How many more opportunities have been missed? With which countries? Why? These are costly mistakes which lead to colossal tragedies. Now that it admits its judgement is faulty, the Pentagon (and its dependents) must be scrupulously vigilant not to repeat them. The ever-increasing number of pointlessly bereaved and impoverished are already calling them to account.
Unfortunately for the USA and Israel the road for lasting pease in MO goes to Damascus. That is the price that Bush and Olmert must pay if they wont achieve the peace, otherway continue as it is.
All of this is George Bush's fault.He wasted his time with attacking Iraq without considering the conseguences of being stuck in a quagmire for almost four years and no end in sight.George Bush and Don Rumsfeld are always crying how the syrian regime in Damascus is supplying both willing recruits for some pointless jihad in which they willing to die for nothing fighting the US in Iraq and the flow of weapons through the porous borders of Syria and Iraq from Iran to Iraq.Don rumsfeld should have considered bombing terrorist training camps in Syria but he missed his chance.If the state of Israel gets suckered into a cease fire with hizzbolla the Syrian regime in damascus will be even more emboldened to supply arms to the Hizzbolla.Ehud Olmert in my estimation is just as reckless as George Bush and a cease fire that will end up collasping or no Israel much to their chagrin will sink up right to the axles in the mire in a bloody quagmire that last for years."MY NAME IS MUD"........
as an experienced fighter, they know who their true enemy is...