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US Set for Strike against Syria
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John Henry
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Jan 13, 2005 03:19 PST
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US AND IRAQ ALL SET FOR STRIKE AGAINST SYRIA
ISRAEL IS BRACED FOR HIZBALLAH SECOND FRONT
Last Sunday, January 2, US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage
performed his last major mission before stepping down in favor of Robert B.
Zoellick, whom incoming secretary Condoleezza Rice has picked as her
deputy. (Zoellick, currently trade representative in charge US world trade,
served as deputy to secretary of state James Baker in the Reagan and Bush
Sr. administrations.
This mission took Armitage to Damascus with nine American demands.
DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s Washington sources published those demands for the first
time in its last week’s issue:
1. Start repealing Syria’s 40-years old emergency laws.
2. Free all political prisoners from jail.
3. Abolish media censorship.
4. Initiate democratic reform.
5. Speed up economic development
6. Cut down relations with Iran.
7. Announce publicly that the disputed Shebaa Farms at the base of Mt.
Hermon are former Syrian territory. This would cut the ground from under
the Lebanese terrorist Hizballah’s claim that the land is Lebanese and must
be "liberated" from Israeli "occupation."
DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources report that the Iran-sponsored
Hizballah’s attack on an Israeli convoy patrolling the disputed Shebaa
Farms sector, killing an Israeli officer, on Palestinian election-day,
Sunday, January 9, was addressed as much to President George W. Bush as to
the new Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as a foretaste of what it has in
store.
8. Hand over to US or Iraqi authorities 55 top officials and military
officers of the former Saddam regime, who are confirmed by intelligence to
be established in Syria and running the guerrilla war in Iraq out of their
homes and offices.
(An address, telephone number and cell phone number were listed beside each
name).
But the punchline was in the last demand.
9. Syria had better make sure that none of the Kornet AT-14 anti-tank
missiles which it recently purchased in large quantities from East Europe
turn up in Iraq. US intelligence has recorded their serial numbers to
identify their source. DEBKAfile’s military sources add: Because he cannot
afford to buy advanced fighter planes and tanks, Assad purchased massive
quantities of the "third generation" Kornet AT-14 anti-tank weapons.
Just in case any are found in Iraq, General Casey, commander of US forces
in Iraq has already received orders from the commander-in-chief in the
White House to pursue military action inside Syria according to his best
military judgment.
Number 9 therefore incorporates a tangible threat. The American general has
the authority to launch military action against Syria as he sees fit and
without delay if Damascus continues to meddle in Iraq’s affairs.
DEBKAfile adds:
The Syrian ruler protested to Armitage that he is doing everything he can
to hold back the flow of guerrilla fighters and weapons into Iraq. As
proof, he ordered Syria’s chief of staff General Ali Habib to establish a
forward command center on the Syrian-Iraq border to oversee efforts to
control border traffic on the spot.
The fact is that General Habib is one of the few Syrian officers which the
Americans have trusted. He commanded the Syrian units dispatched to Saudi
Arabia in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq and made friends with the US
commanders and officials conducting the war, including vice president Dick
Cheney and the then head of joint chiefs of staff, Colin Powell. However,
even Habib’s old American buddies do not rule out the possibility that he
was posted to the border not to restrain the traffic but to take command of
Syrian units posted there and prepare them for the contingency of an
American military offensive.
Assad and General Habib are both aware, according to our sources, of the
near carte blanche handed down to General Casey to pursue military action
against Syria as and when indicated by US military requirements in Iraq.
In this regard, DEBKAfile’s military sources note four important points:
1. It will not take place before President Bush is sworn in for his second
term on January 20 or Iraq’s general election ten days later.
2. The Americans will not start out with a large-scale, orderly military
offensive, but rather short in-and-out forays; small US and Iraqi special
forces units will cross the border and raid bases housing Iraqi guerrillas
or buses carrying them to the border. If these brief raids are ineffective,
the Americans will upscale the action.
3. The Allawi government will formally request the United States to consign
joint Iraqi-US forces for action against Syrian targets, so placing the US
operation under the Baghdad government’s aegis. In other words, Iraq will
be at war with Syria without issuing a formal declaration.
4. It is fully appreciated in Washington, Baghdad and Jerusalem that
intense American military warfare against Syria could provoke a Hizballah
backlash against Israel. Damascus may well activate the Lebanese Shiite
group to open a second front on Israel’s northern border. The Syrian ruler
is expected will tolerate a certain level of American low-intensity,
low-profile action. But, because of his reluctance to strike back directly
at American or Iraqi targets, he will field the Hizballah – and not just
for cross-border attacks but to galvanize the terrorist cells it controls
and funds in the West Bank and Gaza Strip into a stepped-up offensive
against Israeli targets. These Palestinian cells have proliferated over the
years, particularly in the Fatah and its branches, encouraged by Yasser
Arafat’s cooperative pact with the Hizballah which remains in force after
his death.
Therefore, the key Middle East happening in the coming weeks will be US
military strikes against Syria. The election of Mahmoud Abbas as
Palestinian Authority chairman, his invitation to the White House, the
formation of the Sharon-Peres government coalition - albeit on very shaky
legs, and the talk of imminent Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations, will
prove to be no more than sideshows of the main event.
<http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=964>http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=964
_______
NOTICE:
This material is distributed free to those who by subscribing to this
e-list have expressed an interest in receiving it for non-profit
educational and research purposes only (Title 17 U.S.C. section 107). Use
for profit is prohibited.
The views expressed in this article are not necessarily shared by the
Moderator.
_____________________
IMPORTANT QUESTION:
If you were to die today would you go to Heaven or Hell? Are you and your
family spiritually ready for eternity? In other words, are you and yours
saved? If your not sure then please click on this link:
http://LandmarkBibleBaptist.net/Salvation/JesusSaves.html
"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John
8:36)
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
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<b>US AND IRAQ ALL SET FOR STRIKE AGAINST SYRIA<br>
ISRAEL IS BRACED FOR HIZBALLAH SECOND FRONT<br><br>
</b>Last Sunday, January 2, US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage
performed his last major mission before stepping down in favor of Robert
B. Zoellick, whom incoming secretary Condoleezza Rice has picked as her
deputy. (Zoellick, currently trade representative in charge US world
trade, served as deputy to secretary of state James Baker in the Reagan
and Bush Sr. administrations. <br>
<br>
This mission took Armitage to Damascus with nine American demands.
<br><br>
DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s Washington sources published those demands for the
first time in its last week’s issue: <br><br>
1. Start repealing Syria’s 40-years old emergency laws. <br><br>
2. Free all political prisoners from jail. <br><br>
3. Abolish media censorship. <br>
<br>
4. Initiate democratic reform. <br>
<br>
5. Speed up economic development <br><br>
6. Cut down relations with Iran. <br><br>
7. Announce publicly that the disputed Shebaa Farms at the base of Mt.
Hermon are former Syrian territory. This would cut the ground from under
the Lebanese terrorist Hizballah’s claim that the land is Lebanese and
must be "liberated" from Israeli "occupation."
<br><br>
DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources report that the Iran-sponsored
Hizballah’s attack on an Israeli convoy patrolling the disputed Shebaa
Farms sector, killing an Israeli officer, on Palestinian election-day,
Sunday, January 9, was addressed as much to President George W. Bush as
to the new Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as a foretaste of what it has
in store. <br><br>
8. Hand over to US or Iraqi authorities 55 top officials and military
officers of the former Saddam regime, who are confirmed by intelligence
to be established in Syria and running the guerrilla war in Iraq out of
their homes and offices. <br>
<br>
(An address, telephone number and cell phone number were listed beside
each name). <br>
<br>
But the punchline was in the last demand. <br>
<br>
9. Syria had better make sure that none of the Kornet AT-14 anti-tank
missiles which it recently purchased in large quantities from East Europe
turn up in Iraq. US intelligence has recorded their serial numbers to
identify their source. DEBKAfile’s military sources add: Because he
cannot afford to buy advanced fighter planes and tanks, Assad purchased
massive quantities of the "third generation" Kornet AT-14
anti-tank weapons. <br><br>
Just in case any are found in Iraq, General Casey, commander of US forces
in Iraq has already received orders from the commander-in-chief in the
White House to pursue military action inside Syria according to his best
military judgment. <br><br>
Number 9 therefore incorporates a tangible threat. The American general
has the authority to launch military action against Syria as he sees fit
and without delay if Damascus continues to meddle in Iraq’s affairs.
<br><br>
DEBKAfile adds: <br><br>
The Syrian ruler protested to Armitage that he is doing everything he can
to hold back the flow of guerrilla fighters and weapons into Iraq. As
proof, he ordered Syria’s chief of staff General Ali Habib to establish a
forward command center on the Syrian-Iraq border to oversee efforts to
control border traffic on the spot. <br><br>
The fact is that General Habib is one of the few Syrian officers which
the Americans have trusted. He commanded the Syrian units dispatched to
Saudi Arabia in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq and made friends with the
US commanders and officials conducting the war, including vice president
Dick Cheney and the then head of joint chiefs of staff, Colin Powell.
However, even Habib’s old American buddies do not rule out the
possibility that he was posted to the border not to restrain the traffic
but to take command of Syrian units posted there and prepare them for the
contingency of an American military offensive. <br><br>
Assad and General Habib are both aware, according to our sources, of the
near carte blanche handed down to General Casey to pursue military action
against Syria as and when indicated by US military requirements in Iraq.
<br><br>
In this regard, DEBKAfile’s military sources note four important points:
<br><br>
1. It will not take place before President Bush is sworn in for his
second term on January 20 or Iraq’s general election ten days later.
<br>
<br>
2. The Americans will not start out with a large-scale, orderly military
offensive, but rather short in-and-out forays; small US and Iraqi special
forces units will cross the border and raid bases housing Iraqi
guerrillas or buses carrying them to the border. If these brief raids are
ineffective, the Americans will upscale the action. <br><br>
3. The Allawi government will formally request the United States to
consign joint Iraqi-US forces for action against Syrian targets, so
placing the US operation under the Baghdad government’s aegis. In other
words, Iraq will be at war with Syria without issuing a formal
declaration. <br><br>
4. It is fully appreciated in Washington, Baghdad and Jerusalem that
intense American military warfare against Syria could provoke a Hizballah
backlash against Israel. Damascus may well activate the Lebanese Shiite
group to open a second front on Israel’s northern border. The Syrian
ruler is expected will tolerate a certain level of American
low-intensity, low-profile action. But, because of his reluctance to
strike back directly at American or Iraqi targets, he will field the
Hizballah – and not just for cross-border attacks but to galvanize the
terrorist cells it controls and funds in the West Bank and Gaza Strip
into a stepped-up offensive against Israeli targets. These Palestinian
cells have proliferated over the years, particularly in the Fatah and its
branches, encouraged by Yasser Arafat’s cooperative pact with the
Hizballah which remains in force after his death. <br><br>
Therefore, the key Middle East happening in the coming weeks will be US
military strikes against Syria. The election of Mahmoud Abbas as
Palestinian Authority chairman, his invitation to the White House, the
formation of the Sharon-Peres government coalition - albeit on very shaky
legs, and the talk of imminent Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations,
will prove to be no more than sideshows of the main event.<br><br>
<font color="#008000"><a href="http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=964">
http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=964<br><br>
<br>
</a></font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
_______<br><br>
NOTICE:<br><br>
This material is distributed free to those who by subscribing to this
e-list have expressed an interest in receiving it for non-profit
educational and research purposes only (Title 17 U.S.C. section
107). Use for profit is prohibited.<br><br>
The views expressed in this article are not necessarily shared by the
Moderator.<br><br>
_____________________<br><br>
IMPORTANT QUESTION:<br><br>
If you were to die today would you go to Heaven or Hell? Are you
and your family spiritually ready for eternity? In other words, are
you and yours saved? If your not sure then please click on this
link: <br>
<a href="http://landmarkbiblebaptist.net/Salvation/JesusSaves.html" eudora="autourl">
http://LandmarkBibleBaptist.net/Salvation/JesusSaves.html<br>
</a> <br>
"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed." (John 8:36)<br><br>
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts
4:12) <br>
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