Assad cuts short meeting with Mubarak in Egypt

CAIRO — Syrian President Bashar Assad cut short a three-day visit to Egypt amid renewed Israeli military threats.

Assad returned to Damascus on Wednesday night, hours after he arrived in the Sinai resort of Sharm e-Sheik for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Assad's return surprised his Egyptian hosts, who had expected the Syrian president to be joined by his wife during his stay in Sinai.

The London-based Al Quds Al Arabi said Assad and Mubarak had a bitter argument over Arab strategy. The newspaper, regarded as reliable by many Middle East diplomats, said Mubarak called for a relaxation of military tension with Israel and an end to the Palestinian mini-war. Assad demanded the opposite.

Other sources said Assad was responding to threats to his new regime as well as a dispute with Mubarak. Earlier, Israel warned Syria that it will be held responsible for renewed attacks by the Iranian-backed Hizbullah along the southern Lebanese border.

Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Israel could again target Syrian positions in Lebanon in wake of the next Hizbullah attack. In April, Israel destroyed a key Syrian radar station in eastern Lebanon.

Ben-Eliezer directed his warning to Assad during a military exercise on the Golan Heights. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

"To you, Bashar Assad, I tell you one thing: Violence won't help and I advise you to return to the negotiating table," Ben-Eliezer said. "I see Syria as responsible for everything that happens in Lebanon. Israel won't strike at Hizbullah as long as it hides behind women and children, but will strike at those responsible for what happens."

At the same time, Israeli officials acknowledged that the government does not plan to respond to Hizbullah anti-tank fire toward an Israeli military position in the disputed Shebaa plateau on Monday. The Hizbullah attack did not result in any injuries.

In New York, the United Nations Security Council expressed concern over the tension along the Israeli-Lebanese border. The council was briefed over Israeli violations of Lebanese territory, including Israeli air and naval reconnaissance.

The Israeli warning to Syria comes amid signs of strain in the Assad regime. On Tuesday, the Abu Dhabi-based Al Bayan daily reported that Assad arrested his spokesman, Jubran Kuriyeh. The newspaper quoted Syrian sources as saying that Kuriyeh was found to have formed links with Maronite leaders in Lebanon. The Maronites have led the call for the expulsion of Syrian troops from Lebanon.

In London, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in its latest strategic review that it did not expect Syria to withdraw from Lebanon. Syria has about 30,000 troops in Lebanon and the institute said that Damascus will seek to maintain its grip on Beirut even if Israel and Syria sign a peace treaty.

In Washington, the House of Representatives endorsed an amendment to a foreign aid bill that would halt $15 million in U.S. military aid to Lebanon unless the Beirut government sends troops to patrol the southern border with Israel.

The amendment — passed by a vote of 216 to 210 — was opposed by the Bush administration. The amendment was introduced by Rep. Tom Lantos, the top-ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee. The amendment will now make its way to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.