TEL AVIV — Israel's military is bracing for a possible two-front
war in the summer of 2007.
Officials said the General Staff has received intelligence assessments
that Israel could be
attacked from both Lebanon and Syria in the north as well as the Palestinian
Authority in the south during the summer of 2007. They said the military
concluded that Hizbullah and the PA would coordinate missile strikes against
Israel.
"The last war [against Hizbullah in July 2006] caught both Hizbullah and
the Palestinians by surprise," an official said. "Now both sides are in full
coordination and when war erupts the missiles will fly from both fronts."
On Sunday, the head of the research division of Military Intelligence,
Brig. Gen. Yossi Baidatz, said Syria was preparing for war with Israel, Middle East Newsline reported.
Baidatz said Syrian President Bashar Assad ordered accelerated production of
medium-range Scud C and D missiles, which could strike virtually anywhere in
the dered t e Syria Army t
deplor anti-thnk missnle unito alad ordered the Syrian Army to
deploy anti-tank missile units along the Golan Heights near the border with
Israel. At the same time, Assad ordered the withdrawal of Syrian forces from
other fronts.
"He is preparing the Syrian Army for the possibility of a military
conflict with Israel," Baidatz said. "On the other hand, he is not ruling
out the possibility of reaching a political settlement with Israel."
Officials said Iran has helped Hizbullah and Syria prepare for another
war against Israel. They said Iran has replenished Hizbullah's rocket and
missile arsenal as well as increased financing to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in
the PA areas.
"The deeper the connection among Hizbullah, Syria, Iran and Hamas, the
more we need to worry," Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky said on
Dec. 8.
Kaplinsky said Iran was also preparing to achieve nuclear weapons
capability in early 2007. He said Teheran would master the nuclear cycle, or
produce enriched uranium without significant foreign help.
A senior military source said Northern Command has led efforts to
prepare for a war against Hizbullah and Syria by mid-2007. The source said
reserve units have conducted live-fire exercises since October 2006, with
plans for a division-level exercise in early 2007.
"There is no information that somebody is going to attack us in the
summer," Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh said on Monday. "But we are
building our force in accordance with capabilities and not intentions.
Things could change overnight."
