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Syrian Official: War with Israel will be Ballistic
Arutz 7 ^ | July 23, '07 | Gil Ronen

Posted on 07/23/2007 10:05:12 AM PDT by Nachum

(IsraelNN.com) Syria sees the next war with Israel as involving missile attacks on civilian infrastructure and front-line guerilla warfare, an anonymous senior official in the Syrian Ministry of Defense told Defense News Weekly, in an interview appearing Monday. Syria prefers to avoid a direct, "classic" confrontation with Israel, he said. Instead, the next war will involve Katyusha rocket and ballistic missiles that will target strategic points in Israel, especially civilian infrastructure.

The official said that the war will not be limited to a single strike, but will be protracted in nature. "This will be a war of attrition, which the Israelis are not good at," he explained. The conflict, he said, "will be more like a war between cities than a war on the battlefield."

According to Arab affairs expert Dr. Guy Bechor, the Syrian assessment is a result of the Second Lebanon War. After that war the Syrians understood that they do not need a large ground force to defeat Israel, but rather missiles aimed at dense Israeli population centers. For the past two years the Syrians have been engaged in massive acquisitions from Russia, after an $11 billion debt was partially forgiven by Russia in 2005, and partially covered by Iran.

Following the unimpressive performance by the IDF in last year’s war, Bechor explains, Syria beg The conflict, he said, will be more like a war between cities than a war on the battlefield. an equipping itself with advanced anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank missiles and cruise missiles.

The Syrian army numbers 650,000 soldiers, including 354,000 reservists, according to Defense News. Its tanks are outdated Soviet models, however, and its air force is inferior to Israel's.

The London-based daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat recently reported that Syria has deployed Chinese C-802 cruise missiles, which it acquired from Iran. In addition, Russia has expressed its willingness to sell the Syrians its Iskander missile, which has a range of 280 kilometers, more than enough to strike at any destination in Israel. The missile features an optical GPS navigational system that allows operators to guide it to their targets.

Al-Sharq al-Awsat also reported Saturday that Iran secretly promised Syria it would provide $1 billion for buying advanced weapons and assist it with nuclear research and the development of chemical weapons, in exchange for a Syrian promise not to negotiate peace with Israel. However, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman dismissed the report as a "media game" and asked how the media could know about the deal if it was confidential.

Arab affairs experts also questioned the veracity of the report, noting that it was written by an exiled Iranian who may simply have wanted to portray Iran's leadership in a bad light.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Israel
KEYWORDS: ballistic; geopolitics; iran; islam; israel; military; syria; syrian; war
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To: ScubieNuc

thank you, I thought it was Isaiah but wasn’t sure. These people are evil with the mindset of destruction like their father the devil and identical to Hitler. They will indeed try and it and perish en masse for it. It is a shame we will all also pay globally and literally. Oil will shoot to $130 a barrel overnight and $7.00 gas. Since a conflict such as this will likely turn ugly for the Syrians on the conventional side, they would likely scale it up to chemical attacks and Israel would turn them into a big glass parking lot. That sounds like Ezekial 38 to me but millions will die in this regional conflict and we all pay the price alongside Israel for evil, ignorant minds...


101 posted on 07/23/2007 7:47:29 PM PDT by quant5
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To: EQAndyBuzz
No. Israel didn’t lose the war. Unless you believe green helmet guy and Reuters.

Who is sitting in Lebanon with missiles pointed at Israel?

All during the war Hezballah increased the number of missiles that they were shooting into Israel. Israel failed miserably in its attempts to stop the missiles and never got back the captives. Most of the tanks that Israel sent in never made it out. It was so bad that they simply stopped sending in tanks and had to send in special forces. Tanks were just targets for the Hezballah. The Israeli air force was largely negated because they had no targets.

Any objective observer would call the war a stalemate. That is a huge victory for the Hezballah they fought the Israeli's to a standstill. When was the last time any Arab army did that to the Israeli's? I know that may not sound like much, but it is very significant.

Now, if they are able to repeat their performance with accurate missiles that are able to reach into the heart of Israel, Israel will suffer terribly. Add in the Westbank and a few of the other Muslim occupied areas and Israel will be faced with the need to put nukes very close to itself if it wants to stop the missiles. That is not exactly a wonderful scenario.

Of course Israel could put a stop to all of this nonsense immediately. All they have to do is announce that from here on out that each rock, mortar, rocket, or suicide bomber will be answered with a MOAB over the population that the attack came from and then do it at least a couple of times. Muslims may be stupid but when their population is decimated they will get the hint.

102 posted on 07/23/2007 7:55:56 PM PDT by LeGrande (Muslims, Jews and Christians all believe in the same God of Abraham.)
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To: giobruno

At some point no one with a brain and resources will put up with this cr*p. The West’s unintentional rope-a-dope strategy will prevail.


103 posted on 07/23/2007 8:05:13 PM PDT by T. Angential
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To: quant5
That sounds like Ezekial 38 to me but millions will die in this regional conflict and we all pay the price alongside Israel for evil, ignorant minds...

I mostly agree with you, but I take great comfort that our heavenly Father knows all and has a plan that can save us if we only accept his free gift of salvation. There will be great suffering yet in this world, but for those who accept Jesus's sacrifice, we know that the suffering isn't permanent, and we will one day live with Him in peace.

Sincerely
104 posted on 07/23/2007 8:17:03 PM PDT by ScubieNuc
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To: Publius6961
Solzhenitsyn IIRC had another interpretation - "He protects those that protect themselves".

The meaning is the same in both cases. I bring this only as a reference not a criticism.

105 posted on 07/23/2007 8:26:10 PM PDT by perfect stranger
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To: jiggyboy; JZelle; Theo
"...July 15 would be a turning point. It's been nothing but hot air and idle threats since then..."

I dunno, but it seems like the islamorons got some turd either hidin' in a well or flyin' out of one for every day of the year.

I guess if ya got some loudmouth in a tower yelling at ya five or six times a day, to stop and bang yer forehead on the ground all the time, ya might believe anything ................... FRegards

106 posted on 07/23/2007 8:33:31 PM PDT by gonzo (In Florida, inmates make cigarettes in jail that I buy, and I can go to jail for smoking one! WTF?)
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To: angelcindy
Israel has God...all they need

And Syria has Satan.

Let them go to Hell and meet him.

107 posted on 07/23/2007 8:36:46 PM PDT by airborne (http://www.gohunter08.com/)
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To: LeGrande

“Of course Israel could put a stop to all of this nonsense immediately”

The problem (as in the US) is in the will not the way.


108 posted on 07/23/2007 10:05:28 PM PDT by dervish (de Tocqueville: there have been few religions in the world as deadly to men as that of Muhammad)
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To: dervish
The problem (as in the US) is in the will not the way.

You can say that again.

109 posted on 07/23/2007 10:46:46 PM PDT by LeGrande (Muslims, Jews and Christians all believe in the same God of Abraham.)
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To: princess leah

“Guess Syria doesn’t remember the 6 day war too well?”

Neither do you evidently...

“Israel is attacked by most of her neighbors and its over in 6 days!”

Israel unleashed one of the most effective pre-emptive strikes in history.


110 posted on 07/23/2007 11:02:42 PM PDT by Dave Elias
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To: MHGinTN

“Arabs are not good Chess players.”

I dunno, Yasser Seirawan seems to be pretty good.

He’s Syrian BTW.


111 posted on 07/23/2007 11:18:16 PM PDT by Dave Elias
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To: angelcindy
Isa 17:1, "The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap."

That prophecy has never been fulfilled, but the time for that to happen may be drawing near.

In the bible the name of a city is often used to identify the entire nation that has the named city as it's capitol or it's most prominent city. For example, references to Rome are often meant to indicate the Roman Empire and not just the city of Rome, and the name Babylon usually refers to the whole Babylonian Empire. Therefore I take the prophesied destruction of Damascus to mean that all of Syria will be destroyed along with the capitol city.

There are other prophetic bible passages which say that Jordan (Ammon in the bible) will also be destroyed in the latter days. I believe that the biblical phrase "latter days" means an indeterminate but relatively short period of time immediately preceding the literal, bodily return of Jesus Christ as King of all the earth and Israel's promised Messiah.

No one would have expected that these great, complex events predicted thousands of years ago would be in the process of happening today and inextricably involving a people returned from exile to sovereign nationhood after 2000 years of relentless persecution and attempted genocide. But a close examination of bible prophecy compared to current world events shows that is exactly what is happening even as we watch the prophetic scenario unfold bit by bit.

112 posted on 07/23/2007 11:40:51 PM PDT by epow ( "The more guns you take out of society the fewer murders you will have" Rudy--6/20/00)
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To: Dave Elias

What’s his number now in GrandMaster?


113 posted on 07/24/2007 11:00:28 AM PDT by MHGinTN (You've had life support. Promote life support for those in the womb.)
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To: Buffettfan

Well said....F’ing A!!


114 posted on 07/24/2007 12:48:31 PM PDT by scoastie
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To: ChocChipCookie

Bring on BiBi...


115 posted on 07/24/2007 12:51:35 PM PDT by scoastie
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To: MHGinTN

I don’t know what his ranking is. Nevertheless by any metric you care to choose he is a ‘Good chess player’.

Ref your original statement...


116 posted on 07/24/2007 3:08:01 PM PDT by Dave Elias
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To: Nachum
After that war the Syrians understood that they do not need a large ground force to defeat Israel, but rather missiles aimed at dense Israeli population centers.

My God, but the Syrians are crushingly stupid.

Rocket attacks by terrorists in a neighboring country are one thing. Rocket attacks by a neighboring country are quite another. Once Syria tries this crap, their whole country becomes a target.

They might want to fight a war of attrition, but if they start bombing Israeli cities like that, the Israelis will not play the same game. They'll destroy Syria's military capabilties, and they'll destroy Amman.

And if Syria is insane enough to use WMDs ... well, Amman won't exist anymore.

117 posted on 07/24/2007 3:15:34 PM PDT by r9etb
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To: r9etb

Not Amman, Jordan. Damascus, Syria!!! ... Sheesh!


118 posted on 07/24/2007 3:17:10 PM PDT by r9etb
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To: econjack
This bozo thinks Israel thinks like the US. The politicians in Israel actually have the stones to strike back.

What a jackass comment. If Syria or any actual country lobbed missiles at us, we would respond in force. "Striking back" is why we're at war right now. (In case you hadn't noticed, we are at war.)

119 posted on 07/24/2007 3:21:12 PM PDT by r9etb
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To: John Valentine
As it is they look to be on the path to death and destruction without mercy. And for what?

To understand what they're doing, you have to look at it from Ferretface Assad's perspective. He's a weakling and a tool, and everybody knows it. Everything he does, revolves around staying in power.

He can't make a deal with the US because a) he hates us too much; b) it paints him as an infidel-lover; and c) it's a change of course that makes him look weak. The salamikazes in the region would take him down.

So he goes the other way: as long as he can play to the hate Israel crowd, he thinks he's OK -- he doesn't actually have to do anything directly, he just has to keep the talk going, and toss some weapons and cash toward the terrorists who are his deniable proxies. This, however, strengthens the salamikazes' hand -- and because they're encouraged by their actions, they push Assad toward a more aggressive stance toward Israel.

The Iranians are very shrewd, and they're playing Assad like a fiddle. They know how weak Assad is, and they've been raising the stakes in the "Hate Israel" game by heating up the rhetoric, and funding the nutjobs.

Assad has a choice: go along (however willingly or unwillingly) with the Iranian line, and still seem "strong;" or don't follow it, and seem weak.

Neither his ego nor his grip on power would withstand the "seeming weak" approach, and so Assad foolishly allows himself to become Iran's front-line proxy against Israel.

Iran, meanwhile, gets to see Israel attacked, and its major Arab rival in the region decimated -- and its position of authority in the Middle East is greatly improved.

120 posted on 07/24/2007 3:35:11 PM PDT by r9etb
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