This page is a narrow-focus warblog. In fact, it's a blog of a war that is only verbal, so far. The content consists primarily of pronouncements by various government officials in the US, Syria and around the world, as well as analysis and commentary from media outlets.

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AFP -- France
Al Bawaba -- Jordon, UK
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Arab News -- Saudi Arabia
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BBC -- UK
CNN -- USA
The Daily Star -- Lebanon
Financial Times -- UK
Forward -- USA
The Guardian -- UK
--- The Observer
Google News
Ha'aretz -- Israel
.......... Ha'aretz vs. haaretz.com
The Hindu -- India
IRNA -- Iran
IslamOnline -- Qatar
Maariv -- now in English -- Israel
Monday Morning -- Lebanon
New York Post -- USA
New York Times -- USA
Reuters -- UK
Scoop -- New Zealand
United Press International (UPI) -- USA
US DoD Defense Link
US Dept. of State Int'l Information Programs
US White House, Press Briefing Archive
Washington Post

Cast of Characters

Syria
.......... CIA Factbook
.......... Global Security, Syria Special Weapons News Archive
.......... BBC, profile
Bashar al-Assad, President
.......... BBC, profile
.......... Slate, profile
.......... Arabic News, biography
.......... Forward, profile
Farouk al-Shara, Foreign Minister
Imad Moustapha, Deputy Syrian Ambassador to the US
.......... Boston Globe, profile
.......... personal page?
.......... Greta's Fox News show, photo

USA
George W. Bush
.......... US White House, biography
.......... A&E, biography
.......... Iraqi News, biography
.......... Realchange.org, Skeletons
.......... awolbush.com
.......... bushwatch.com
.......... whitehouse.org, biography, may contain satire
.......... bartcop, profile of Bush's military career
Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary
.......... A & E, biography
.......... The New Republic, profile
Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
.......... US DoD, biography
.......... Wikipedia, biography
.......... ABC News, profile
Colin Powell, Secretary of State
.......... US White House, biography
.......... Behind Colin Powell's Legend
Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense
.......... US DoD, biography
.......... US DoD, transcripts
.......... American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, biography
.......... Slate, profile
.......... Foreign Policy in Focus, track record in Asia
.......... The Australian, profile
Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor
.......... US White House, biography
.......... Hoover Institution, profile
.......... BBC, profile
John R. Bolton, Under Secretary of State, Arms Control and International Security
.......... US Dept. of State, biography
.......... Foreign Policy in Focus, profile
Douglas Feith, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy
.......... US DoD, biography
.......... Middle East Infromation Center, profile
.......... American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, biography
Richard Perle, Defense Advisory Board
.......... AEI, biography
.......... Center for Cooperative Research, biography -- scroll down
.......... Slate, profile
Richard Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State

NGOs
AEI
AIPAC
PNAC
.......... PNAC's website
.......... pnac.info

UK
Tony Blair, Prime Minister
.......... 10 Downing St., biography
Jack Straw, Foreign Minister
.......... 10 Downing St., biography


Israel
Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister
.......... Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, biography
.......... Electronic Intifada, biography
Shaul Mofaz, Defense Minister
Silvan Shalom, Foreign Minister
Dov Weisglass, Sharon's chief of staff
Ephriam Halevy, National Security Adviser

Palestine
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen)
.......... Middle East Information Center, profile
Hamas
.......... UPI, background on Hamas/Israel connection
.......... Terrorism Research Center, profile

Lebanon
.......... CIA, profile
.......... Dept. of State, profile
Emile Lahoud, President
.......... Lebanese Embassy to the US, biography
.......... American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, profile
Rafiq Hariri, Prime Minister
.......... Lebanese Embassy to the US, biography
.......... BBC, profile
.......... The Estimate profile
Nabih Berri, Speaker of the Parliament
.......... Lebanese Embassy to the US, biography
.......... Middle East Intelligence Bulletin, biography
.......... Encyclopedia of the Orient, biography
Jean Obeid, Foreign Minister
Hizbullah
.......... Hizbullah's website
.......... US Dept. of State, profile
.......... Momkey Media Report, Hezbollah links
.......... Yellow Times The History of Hizbullah

Multi-national Organizations
United Nations
European Union
Gulf Cooperation Council
Arab League

Reciprocity

::: wood s lot :::
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random walks
blogs against war
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War (of Words) with Syria

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Saturday, Oct 11, 2003

[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.

- mark 10-12-2003 12:49 am [link]

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.
- mark 10-11-2003 11:41 pm [link]

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."

- mark 10-11-2003 11:30 pm [link]

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.

- mark 10-11-2003 11:25 pm [link]

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.”
- mark 10-11-2003 11:11 pm [link]

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

- mark 10-11-2003 10:57 pm [link]

[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.

- mark 10-11-2003 10:52 pm [link]

Tuesday, Oct 07, 2003

Mofaz approves limited reserve call-up due to terror alerts
Ha'aretz -- October 7, 2002


Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz approved on Tuesday a limited call-up of Israel Defense Forces reserve soldiers due to the large amount of terror alerts and the urgent need to tighten security along the seam-line boundary with the West Bank.

Israel Radio reported on Tuesday evening, however, that the number of general terror warnings dropped from approximately 40 last week to 35 this week.

- mark 10-08-2003 2:10 am [link]

Sharon Threatens to Hit Israel's Enemies Anywhere
Reuters -- October 7, 2003


JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon threatened Tuesday to hit Israel's enemies anywhere following an air raid deep in Syria, drawing words of support and caution from President Bush.

"The decisions that he makes to defend her people are valid decisions. We would be doing the same thing," Bush told reporters in Washington when asked about Sharon's remarks.

- mark 10-08-2003 2:02 am [link]

U.S. takes harder line with Syria
San Jose Mercury News -- October 7, 2003


WASHINGTON - After Israel's weekend attack on an alleged terrorist training camp in Syria, a harsher policy toward Damascus is taking shape on Capitol Hill and in the Bush administration.

President Bush on Monday refused to criticize Israel's raid early Sunday on the camp outside Damascus. The raid came a day after a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 19 people and wounded 50 others in Haifa, Israel.

Bush said he told Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ``Israel's got a right to defend herself, that Israel must not feel constrained in terms of defending the homeland.''

The president added that he reminded Sharon ``that it's very important that any action Israel takes should avoid escalation and creating higher tensions.''

Critics say the White House stance gives the Israeli leader virtually a free hand to conduct more strikes on Syria -- which might further destabilize the Middle East -- and identifies the United States too closely with Sharon's policies.

Hawks at the Pentagon haven't given up on the idea of ``regime change'' in Damascus and recently asked the CIA to come up with a list of Syrian notables who might one day succeed Syrian President Bashar Assad, said a U.S. official who requested anonymity.

U.S. officials and lawmakers say Syria has failed to heed warnings to stop Islamist militants from crossing its border into Iraq to attack U.S. troops, and has resisted demands from Secretary of State Colin Powell and others to shut down Palestinian militant groups operating on its territory.

An alleged espionage ring at the U.S. detention facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, also may involve Syria. A U.S. airman arrested in July faces charges of providing information on the camp and its detainees to the Syrian government.

Syria ``is living on borrowed time,'' a State Department official said recently, referring to the mood in Washington. He spoke on condition of anonymity.

On Capitol Hill, the House International Relations Committee is scheduled Wednesday to approve the Syria Accountability Act, which would encourage Bush to impose new economic and diplomatic sanctions on the government of Assad.

- mark 10-08-2003 1:46 am [link]