Posted on 11/06/2008 5:32:31 AM PST by jonatron
Lebanese sources and eye witnesses report Syrian tanks, artillery and commando units have taken up battle positions in four villages around Hasbaya opposite Mt. Hermon and northern Israel.
According to DEBKAfile’s military sources, Syrian tanks and artillery units continued to move into their new positions Sunday and Monday, Nov. 2-3, so completing their deployment the full length of the Syrian-Lebanese border. Elements of the Syrian 10th, 12th and 14th Divisions and the 3rd Army - withdrawn last week from the 600-km long Syrian-Iraq border - are now poised opposite Israeli positions holding the disputed Shebaa Farms enclave on Mt. Hermon.
Military sources say that whereas opposite the northeastern Tripoli region, Syrian forces are strung out in small clusters of 2 to 3 tanks one or more kilometers apart, their tank units are massed tightly opposite Mt. Hermon and northern Israel.
There are other differences: Heavy Syrian armor is positioned well back from the front-line infantry and commando troops in the north, whereas tanks, artillery and special forces are deployed right up to the border opposite South Lebanon and Israel.
Western and Lebanese military observers relate Syria’s military movements to Damascus’ threats, growing more strident Sunday, of “painful punishment” for the US Oct. 26 raid in northern Syria unless Washington apologizes, clarifies its action and pays compensation.
These observers stress that Damascus has no real expectation of a US apology or clarification, because Syria knows as well as the US that the target was its own forward military base for terrorist strikes in Iraq. While insisting that an innocent farm was attacked and the 8 people killed were all civilians, the Syrians are taking advantage of the Bush administration’s silence to argue that Damascus has the same right as Washington to carry out cross-border attacks against “terrorist targets” i.e. in Lebanon and Israel. Damascus is winding the tensions up to a pitch where some military action against a US Middle East target or ally in Lebanon or Israel is becoming hard to avoid.
Senior IDF officers and some Western military sources are perplexed by the Israeli government’s failure to pursue deterrent action against the Syrian tanks poised in battle array on its border. Instead, the outgoing prime minister Ehud Olmert is busy trying to reviving indirect talks with Syria before he quits, while defense minister Ehud Barak and Kadima leader Tzipi Livni appear unconcerned.
“Remember I said it standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.” “He’s gonna have to make some really tough - I don’t know what the decision’s gonna be, but I promise you it will occur. As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it’s gonna happen.”
It’s Livni and Obama’s problem now.
Israil should be bracing for an attack any time after Hussein is sworn in.
Usually info from Debka is hit & miss. But somehow I think things are gonna come to a head pretty quickly over there.
However, they are also trying to discourage action by Israel against Iran before Israel loses even the limited support they get from the Bush administration.
There sure seems to be a lot of problems with aggressive countries around the world right after Obama won the election. Coincidence?
Iran returned the hostages they had taken just before Reagan took office from Carter. Now we are seeing the reverse as the new incarnation of Carter is about to take office.
Thank you, Florida.
It’s 3AM & the phone is ringing....
The IDF is far better at camoflaging their moves.
Let’s all get ready for the poop to hit the fan.
This is in celebration of 0bama’s election!
On the bright side at least we no longer have to say it is “Bushs fault” we can now say it is “Zeros fault”.
Flood the system with cash so that when everyone goes to the window it is their when they spank Iran.
They will three prong Israel from the North, Gaza and the Westbank during or after their Iran Spank. The question is, do they take out Iran's Oil Infrastructure and stick it to the Europeans who get the Iranian oil (or so I have been told) and make oil prices spike as well.
I do not work for the Rand Corporation, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, anway that is what I see going down, that and 99 cents will get me a cup of coffee...
Nice time for a neutron bomb.
Florida? And Ohio, Virginia, N Carolina, Colorado, N Mexico, Pennsylvania...etc. What does Florida have to do with this?
But does Israel have it ?
But this can’t be! Obama is going to bring change. Yes we can! Yes we can!
...
Fasten your seatbelt.
not all of floriduh
No, not all of Florida. I was thinking specifically of the Jewish community that went for Obama.
This Obama administration is going to be one disaster after another on both economic and military fronts. Many Americans will learn the price of electing such a person and won’t want the headache in four years.
Hey Yo-Yo,
It was Blacks 98%, Latino’s, Asians, and Mooselims too. Jews in Fla were one large group, so were the Blacks in NY, CA, Det, Chi and the Mooslems in MI. So what is your point?
And don’t forget the wonder of Blacks in PA with all their shenanagins
My point, in the context of this specific thread, was that the Jewish community might have taken Israel into consideration when voting for POTUS. Now we see with this Syrian potentially agressive actions against Israel, it is important which candidate thought Israel had a right to exist, and which candidate would be 'tested.'
When it is time the Obama will sit down with Asad and simultaneously delegitimize Bush's and the Republican's foreign policy about terrorism.
The Middle East probably isn't the best place to be these days...
See Post #27.
Syria knows that Bush is still our president at this moment...right?
Expect Syria to coordinate with Iran.
W has a few months.
Syria can be neutralized in a week.
Saying Bush’s fault was a joke. Saying O’s fault is deadly truth
I don't want W ruining the fun of watching Barry and Joe handle the Middle East.
Iran will be left fuming after Syria is taken out
Now he tells me...
so it’s not just Debka.
I expect Syria to do what Iran tells them to do like they always do.
Iran uses others to make it's attacks whenever possible especially when they want to distract people from what they are doing.
Isaiah 17
The oracle concerning Damascus. “Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city
And will become a fallen ruin.
I'm a 'she' and I am in the Middle East, too. Sort of in the crossfire if Iran gets into it. ;-)
Stay safe!
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