Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel’s military has warned of the collapse of Syria,
which has the largest chemical weapons stockpile in the Middle East.

Israel Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel said the Jewish state
was encountering the collapse of the regime of Syrian President Bashar
Assad.

Eshel said Syria, with a huge conventional and non-conventional
arsenal, marked the greatest threat to Israel.

“We are not talking about our backyard but actually on our borders,”
Eshel said.

In an address to a space conference on Jan. 29, Eshel said Syria’s
military contains advanced systems as well as non-conventional weapons. He said Israel has no idea of what could take place after the collapse of the Assad regime.

“There are dramatic changes,” Eshel said. “The case in the north is the
most prominent — a state that is in the process of collapse of which none of us have a clue what will happen the day after.”

Eshel’s warning came amid an Israeli assessment that Syria could be
transferring CW warheads to the Iranian proxy Hizbullah in neighboring
Lebanon. Officials said Israeli intelligence has detected nightly convoys
from Syria to Lebanon that were believed to include advanced missiles.

In his address, Eshel urged the government of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu to bolster Israel’s satellite capabilities. The general said
Israeli space reconnaissance capabilities comprise a military deterrence to
the rest of the region.

“The world of sensors is developing, and the capability to take this,
activate this and and form a complete picture is critical,” Eshel said.

  Air Force chief: Collapse of Syria would pose major threat to Israel, Bashar Assad, Benjamin Netanyahu, Collapse of Syria a major threat to Israel, Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel