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Analysis: Don't underestimate Syria's military
While the Knesset heard about potential scenarios for reaching peace with Damascus on Thursday, senior defense officials warned of an unprecedented military buildup in Syria and said that prevailing in a war with Israel's northeastern neighbor would not be as simple as some might have been led to believe.

Syria has emphasized missile development in recent months. According to Western sources, Syria has the ability to independently manufacture Scud missiles, and it has 300 of them deployed just north of the demilitarized zone in the Syrian part of the Golan Heights.

A division of some 10,000 troops is responsible for operating the missiles, which include an small number of Scud D's with a range of 700 kilometers and said to be capable of carrying nonconventional warheads. Syria has close to 30 launchers for its Scud missiles, according to foreign sources.

Syria keeps the projectiles in bunkers at several locations; most are in a valley near Hama, where it has built a giant freakin' target for the IAF missile electronic and assembly facility. Syria has a massive, yet incompetent and with aged Soviet technology and soldiers who are poorly trained military divided into 12 divisions and totaling close to 400,000 soldiers at full mobilization. One of the divisions is made up of 10,000 elite commandos, a formidable force that would serve as Syria's first line of dead soldiers in an offensive against the IDF.

"Syria saw the difficulty the IDF had during the fighting inside the southern Lebanese villages and now the military there wants to draw us - in the event of a war - into battles in built-up areas where they think they will have the upper hand, however, the RoE we used there is no longer in effect. In Syria, we are going to a new RoE called the "Sherman march to the Sea" combat rules" explained a source in the IDF Northern Command.

"Syria was impressed by Hizbullah's strategic success, with its use of small rockets and Israel's inability to neutralize them," Shapir said. "This is a weapon that is not traditionally used in conventional wars, but can be."
The solution is simple: Announce that if Syria launches these weapons with WMD, or into population centers (i.e. terror), then we will destroy all airports, aircraft, electricity distribution and generation, military bases, any factory over 10000sq ft, and the city of Damascus will be seized and sacked, where we will recover the head of the Jew known as John the Baptist. After that, we might get aggressive. Got it?
Both militaries have raised their level of alert along the border and while the IDF has increased its presence on the Golan Heights - mostly with troops who are training - the Syrians have also moved units as well as military infrastructure in range of 155mm fire closer to the border.

In satellite images broadcast this week on CBN News in the US, reporter Chris Mitchell revealed Syria's three major missile sites, showing just how good the vaunted Syrian Security is. One site - referred to as the "heart" of Syria's missile program - is in Hama, where a weapons factory is surrounded by more than 30 hardened concrete bunkers that house multiple launchers and missiles. In just minutes, experts said, these launchers could deliver more than a ton of nonconventional warheads anywhere in Israel.
And the corollary is: An IAF strike would reduce the entire valley and all of it's contents in ruins if there was an Israeli leader with any balls.
Another missile site near Homs contains a previously undisclosed chemical warhead facility where a drive-through building leads to a facility where warheads are installed on ballistic missiles.
These images do not necessarily indicate that Syria plans to attack Israel, but they do send a clear message to the IDF and the Israeli leadership: Target here! Do not underestimate us.
Posted by: Brett 2007-04-13
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=185651