War (of Words) with Syria
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Sunday, Oct 12, 2003
Israel plans to invade Syria: Mahathir
AFP via Khaleej Times and Al Jazeerah -- October 11, 2003
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia - Israel plans to invade Syria and drag the United States into the war, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Saturday.
“Israel has been urging America to invade Syria, but America seems to be reluctant. So, in order to force the hands of America, Israel is going to invade Syria,” Mahathir was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.
Syria, Israel Engaged In War Of Words
IslamOnline -- October 11, 2003
DAMASCUS (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Syria and Israel were engaged in a war of words Saturday, October 11, with Damascus saying it reserves the right to retaliate Israeli attacks and Tel Aviv arguing that countries "harboring terrorist organizations" are legitimate targets.
Sharon Acts Tough, Sensing U.S. Assent
New York Times -- October 12, 2003
Chill in U.S.-Syria Ties Helps Clear Way for Israeli Raid on Terror Camp
Syrian Reverse On Intelligence Hardens U.S.
Forward -- October 10, 2003
By ORI NIR
WASHINGTON — Syria has in recent weeks stopped supplying Washington with valuable intelligence, which in the past was helping the United States in fighting Al Qaeda and terrorism in Iraq, congressional, diplomatic and intelligence sources told the Forward.
The Syrian reversal appears to have played a major role in the Bush administration's sympathetic response to the Israeli bombing last Sunday of a deserted terrorist training camp in Syria, following the suicide bombing at a Haifa restaurant the day before in which 19 Israelis were killed.
The deterioration of American-Syrian relations also seems to have played an important role in Israel's decision to retaliate to the suicide bombing by launching an air raid against the site, about 10 miles northwest of Damascus. It was the first time in three decades that Israel attacked targets in Syria.
"Several administration officials have made it clear" that while the administration may have been soft on Syria until now because of its intelligence cooperation, "that is not the situation now — the Syrians stopped cooperating," said Matthew Levitt, a former FBI terrorism analyst who is now a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a pro-Israel think tank
[Nice analysis by the Guardian.]
Israel deploys nuclear arms in submarines
The Observer -- October 12, 2003
Peter Beaumont in London and Conal Urquhart in Jerusalem
Israeli and American officials have admitted collaborating to deploy US-supplied Harpoon cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads in Israel's fleet of Dolphin-class submarines, giving the Middle East's only nuclear power the ability to strike at any of its Arab neighbours.
[The hawk in question is John "screw the UN" Bolton.]
US Hawk Warns Iran Threat Must Be Eliminated
Guardian via Common Dreams -- October 10, 2003
by Richard Norton-Taylor
An American official warned yesterday that the potential threat posed by Iran's nuclear program had to be "eliminated" and predicted Tehran would try to "throw sand" in the eyes of the world to avoid a confrontation at the UN.
Israel ready to launch preemptive strike on nuclear sites in Iran: report
AFP via SpaceWar -- October 11, 2003
BERLIN
Israel's spy agency Mossad has drawn up preemptive attack plans on six sites in Iran it suspects are being used to prepare nuclear weapons, Der Spiegel magazine says in its Monday edition, citing Israeli security officials
Report: Mossad, IAF have plan for Iran nuke sites
Jerusalem Post -- October 11, 2003
By JPOST.COM STAFF
The German newspaper Der Spiegel reported Saturday that Israel has prepared plans for a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear facilities in order to halt Iran's progress towards attaining nuclear weapons.
Der Spiegel reported that a special unit of the Mossad received an order two months ago to prepare a detailed plan to destroy Iran's nuclear sites. According to the paper, the Mossad's plan is ready and has been delivered to the Israeli Air Force, which will carry out the strike
[Is this related to the leak regarding Israel's submarine nukes? Curious timing.]
Israel plant Angriff auf iranische Atomanlagen
Spiegel Online -- October 11, 2003
Translation by altavista ...
The Israeli government under Prime Minister Ariel Scharon is obviously ready to switch off with purposeful military strikes Teherans nuclear program. A special-purpose force of the secret service Mossad received the order two months ago ago to prepare appropriate plans of attack.
Nasrallah warns Israel of further attacks on Syria, Lebanon
Al Bawaba -- October 11, 2003
Further Israeli attacks on Syria or Lebanon would lead to a tough response from Hizbullah against Israel, the Lebanon-based movement's chief warned Friday.
Syria reserves right to retaliate against Israeli attacks
AFP via Arab Times (Kuwait) -- October 11, 2003
DAMASCUS - Syria reserves the right to retaliate "by all means at its disposal" against any attack by Israel, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said Saturday, a week after an air strike by the Jewish state on an alleged Palestinian militant training camp near Damascus.
"Syria reserves the right to retaliate by all means at its disposal," Bushra Kanafani told a press conference at the foreign ministry.
"We hope that the Israelis will not repeat their attacks," she said, but said "the right to self defense is recognized by all states."
"We hope that we can all of us avoid further escalation, but if Israel continues to violate our sovereignty and the disengagement agreement, Syria is going to exert its right of self defense."
AP Exclusive: Israeli strike on Syria threatens to derail, diplomatic efforts, prisoner swap
Associated Press -- October 11, 2003
DAFNA LINZER, Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS --
Israel's military attack on Syrian soil is threatening to derail secret European and U.N. diplomatic efforts to bring the two Mideast enemies back to the negotiating table and could stall a planned Israeli-Hezbollah prisoner swap, the Associated Press has learned from officials involved.
The exploratory diplomatic efforts, which until now have been kept quiet, are the results of a yearlong negotiation for the prisoner swap and an offer this summer from Syrian President Bashar Assad to restart peace talks with Israel that fell apart in March 2000, diplomats said on condition of anonymity.
Sanction program against Syria designed to ''increase tension between Arabs and US''
Al Bawaba -- October 9, 2003
Syria criticized the US government’s preliminary approval of a sanction program against the Arab state. Syria’s official newspaper Teshreen , called the policy’s designers "a group of extremists who are trying to increase tension between Arabs and the American administration.”
Israel Adds Subs to Its Atomic Ability
Officials confirm that the nation can now launch nuclear weapons from land, sea and air. The issue complicates efforts to rein in Iran.
Los Angelese Times -- October 11, 2003
By Douglas Frantz, Times Staff Writer
TEL AVIV — Israel has modified American-supplied cruise missiles to carry nuclear warheads on submarines, giving the Middle East's only nuclear power the ability to launch atomic weapons from land, air and beneath the sea, according to senior Bush administration and Israeli officials.
The previously undisclosed submarine capability bolsters Israel's deterrence in the event that Iran — an avowed enemy — develops nuclear weapons. It also complicates efforts by the United States and the United Nations to persuade Iran to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons program.
Two Bush administration officials described the missile modification and an Israeli official confirmed it. All three spoke on condition their names not be used.
The Americans said they were disclosing the information to caution Israel's enemies at a time of heightened tensions in the region and concern over Iran's alleged ambitions
[It's all about the non-proliferation.]
Report: Israel developed nuclear warheads for its submarines
Ha'aretz -- October 11, 2003
By Reuters and Haaretz Service
U.S. and Israeli officials say Israel has modified
U.S.-made Harpoon cruise missiles so it can launch
nuclear warheads from submarines, the Los Angeles
Times reported Saturday.
The State Department and
Pentagon declined to comment on
the report, as did an Israeli
military spokesman, in line
with that nation's policy of
refusing to say if it has
nuclear weapons.
Israel is regarded as the only
nuclear power in the Middle
East.
According to a story posted on the newspaper's
Web site, U.S. officials disclosed the
information as a caution to Israel's enemies
amid heightened tensions in the region and
concern over Iran's atomic program.