You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Report: Israel gives Syria ultimatum
2006-07-15
London-based Arabic language newspaper Al-Hayat says Israel gave Syria 72 hours to stop Hizbullah’s activity, bring about release of kidnapped IDF troops. ‘Israel will not end military activity until new situation created that will prevent Syria, Iran from using terror organizations to threaten its security,’ newspaper quotes Pentagon official as saying

Al-Hayat reported Saturday that “Washington has information according to which Israel gave Damascus 72 hours to stop Hizbullah’s activity along the Lebanon-Israel border and bring about the release the two kidnapped IDF soldiers or it would launch an offensive with disastrous consequences.”

The report said “a senior Pentagon source warned that should the Arab world and international community fail in the efforts to convince Syria to pressure Hizbullah into releasing the soldiers and halt the current escalation Israel may attack targets in the country.”

Al-Hayat quoted the source as saying that “the US cannot rule out the possibility of an Israeli strike in Syria,” this despite the fact that the Bush administration has asked Israel to “refrain from any military activity that may result in civilian casualties.”

The report also mentioned that President George W. Bush has repeatedly put much of the blame for the recent escalation on Syria.

“It is no coincidence that the Hizbullah operation comes at a time when the international community is working to impose sanctions on Iran due to its nuclear program and settle the score with Syria by establishing an international court to try those behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri,” the Pentagon source said.

According to the source, Hizbullah made the same mistake as Hamas when it did not predict the ramifications of its actions and ignored the regional and international changes since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

The source said that Israel has indicated that it “will not end its military activity until a new situation is created that will prevent Syria and Iran from using terror organizations, such as Hamas and Hizbullah, to threaten its security.”
Posted by:ryuge

#24  Unless ordinary Syrians want to be future citizens of Radical Iran, Syria has a stake in ISRAEL defeating the various terror orgs in southern Lebanon. SO MANY QUANDRIES, NOT ENUFF POPCORN - FTLG, STAY ARMED BOYZ AND GIRLZ.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2006-07-15 22:24  

#23  It has to be disavowed by the IDF, because that would be the only way that baby Assad would comply. He would loose face big-time if he was seen bending to the will of Israel. It has to look like his (Assad's idea) "for the sake of peace in the region".
Posted by: freddy   2006-07-15 15:13  

#22  This has subsequently been disavowed by IDF
Posted by: Captain America   2006-07-15 13:55  

#21  Elder of Zion: I am curious, what do you think the ante would be?
Posted by: JohnQC   2006-07-15 12:44  

#20  Alaske Paul,
I agree with you that this is the golden opportunity to take out syria or at least to shake it considerably.
I dont think Israel would do anything serious along these lines, though, because I dont think Olmert can afford a major war with Syria right now.
So, I think it's up to Dubia to up the ante on the asshat.
Think he will folloow up on it ??
Posted by: Elder of Zion   2006-07-15 12:22  

#19  Israel has plenty to do to take down Hizb'Allah systematically. Syria, though is the next logical target to dismantle. The US has a dog in this one, also. Taking Hizb and Syria out of the fight isolates Iran. Administrative Nut Job can only do mischief, serious mischief, mind you. Then there you have a causus belli, and whatever mischief on our side can be done and he and the MMs can be toppled more actively than anyone has been doing.

Now is the time to take out Syria, and then Iran. A nuclear-armed Iran will mean many more casualties. Hell, even the Saudis would like Iran neutralized. Takes the pressure off their own nuke program, nutty as it is.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2006-07-15 12:17  

#18  IDF official quoted in Haaretz denies it.
Posted by: Perfesser   2006-07-15 11:36  

#17  LOL, Anonymoose. You got me with your close. :)
Posted by: Hupinetle Sninetle9012   2006-07-15 10:34  

#16  The 72 hours notice is also for the US to fully prepare its anti-missile systems for Iraq and any naval vessels in the area.

Please note that the US Navy currently has only a few vessels in the Red Sea, and no carriers within attack range of Iranian missiles. This means that the primary US targets in the region are the airbases in western Iraq and Bagram in Afghanistan.

Using missiles carrying 1000-pound bombs to attack an airfield is a wasteful expenditure of an expensive damn missile. The odds of it hitting near enough to do much of anything is low. And once those planes are scrambled, it's party time.

That would be sweet as far as we are concerned, as the Iranians would have started the war, our airbase assets could disrupt their C&C and missile targetting, and so when our aircraft carriers arrived, Iran would be our bitch.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2006-07-15 10:23  

#15  The biggest change happened more than a decade ago when the bad guys lost the Soviet nuclear shield.
Posted by: Odysseus   2006-07-15 10:16  

#14  6 I don't know any more than you do. I think, it's just IAF reserves.
IMO, what's going on in Lebanon is twofold.
(i)The Lebs are being shown that there is a price.
(ii) IDF getting a bit of live fire training---everybody but infantry got a bit slack fighting Paleos: shit like a tank running into a mine ambush, or a missile ship being struck by shore to sea, are not something that's supposed to happen in IDF.
Posted by: gromgoru   2006-07-15 09:57  

#13  Bushear Bushehr
Posted by: ed   2006-07-15 09:44  

#12  I don't think Iran can be left alone. They will regard it as a victory, including almost sinking an Israeli warship. This is perfect opportunity to attack Iranian refineries, power plants and nuclear facilities, including the completed reactor (but not yet fueled, I think) at Bushear.
Posted by: ed   2006-07-15 09:42  

#11  Grom can you speak to the level of mobilization?
Posted by: 6   2006-07-15 09:27  

#10  I suspect that the Israeli commenters are otherwise occupied at the moment?

The guy I'd like to hear from is TGA, but he's busy also.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-07-15 09:14  

#9  Any Israeli commenters care to share whether Israelis are pissed off enough for the IDF to make a right turn and go to Damascus?
Posted by: ed   2006-07-15 09:07  

#8  Leave Iran alone. Iran will lose a lot of face if Israel whips Syria's butt. Everybody likes to follow the strong horse, right? After the thunder run through Damascus, Bolton aksk for sanctions against Iran. The Chinese may object, even the Russians, but that will be it.

Then the quarantine, no gasoline. Let the Iranians finish the job themselves.

Then meet at the UN with Ralph Peters to draw the new boundaries.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-07-15 08:30  

#7  I think in this Syria is just Iran's bitch. Israel can do whatever it likes whenever it likes to Syria. Time to go after the head.

Oil refineries and Druzistan.
Posted by: phil_b   2006-07-15 07:35  

#6  re: reservists, my thought too, NS.
Posted by: lotp   2006-07-15 07:26  

#5  72 hours. That should be enough time for the reserves to have been active for 24 hours and have all the kinks worked out.

Heh.

More popcorn, please.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-07-15 07:12  

#4  Actually, it was an Iranian setup originally, but it got modified and improved by creative minds. Ahmadinutjob will be in awe and then in shock when the improved version gets its full play.
Posted by: twobyfour   2006-07-15 07:03  

#3  This so looks like a Rove setup and the Syrians and Iranians are falling right into the trap. :)
Posted by: djohn66   2006-07-15 06:56  

#2  Okay, I was off by about 5 days. Better to windex my crystal ball now. ;-)
Posted by: twobyfour   2006-07-15 06:55  

#1  Ahmadinejad doesn't have the intelligence to comprehend the balance of forces. And he has been holding huge rallies, in which he boasts about destroying Israel. When the humiliation of Hizbollah reaches the streets of Teheran, ego will lead the Ayatollah puppet to launch his long range missiles at Israel. Then, he will meet his doom.

BTW: Daily Alert is full of good links today. Cut and paste because AOL won't let me tag-link:
http://www.dailyalert.org/
Posted by: Anginens Threreng8133   2006-07-15 06:53  

00:00