Syria to Iran: We won’t attack Israel in retaliatory strike

Jerusalem Post [Israel] ^ | 12/8/10 | Yaakov Katz

[Nachum]

The Syrian leadership in Damascus told a senior Iranian delegation to Damascus last year that it would not assist Iran in retaliating to an Israeli strike against its nuclear facilities, according to an American diplomatic cable published on Wednesday by Wikileaks. (Snip) “We told them Iran is strong enough on its own to develop a nuclear program and to fight Israel,” the Syrian official was quoted as saying in the cable. “We’re too weak.”

[RexBeach]

Boy, is that part of the world screwed up.

Just one sh*t storm after another - literally or figuratively.

[StormEye]

"The Syrian leadership in Damascus told a senior Iranian delegation to Damascus last year that it would not assist Iran in retaliating to an Israeli strike against its nuclear facilities, according to an American diplomatic cable published on Wednesday..."

Israel should hit Iran now! Arab/Muslim solidarity is nothing but illusion and propaganda.

[MplsSteve]

“The Syrian leadership in Damascus told a senior Iranian delegation to Damascus last year that it would not assist Iran in retaliating to an Israeli strike against its nuclear facilities..”

Translation: The Syrian government is not interested in having the Israeli Air Force turn parts of their nation into a giant bombing range.

[GonzoGOP]

Translated....
If the balloon goes up Israel's army can't get to Iran, but they would be in Damascus by lunch time.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Nachum. WikiLeaks.

[jeltz25]

I hope so. They couldn’t get past a village in Lebanon by dinner time in 2006.

[Wizdum]

Historically, the Arabs have never trusted the Persians, or would want to be in cahoots with them because of that.

Religion would play into some of that, but the Persians over-ran the Arabs before, subjugating them in pretty harsh terms. And they have a long memory of that.

I suspect that publicly, the Arab leaders would condemn Israel, but privately, it might get them talking to each other on 'mutual interests'.

[UCFRoadWarrior]

WikiLeaks exposing how weak and incoherent the Islamic nations are.....the Liberal Globalists and Anti-Semites heads are going to explode.

Good time for Israel to nuke Iran

[NonValueAdded]

Aversion to a glowing Damascus?

[GonzoGOP]

I hope so. They couldn’t get past a village in Lebanon by dinner time in 2006

That fight caught them by surprise, the assumption here was that Israel would be launching the strike, and hence would be fully mobilized at the opening. Also they were handicapped by trying to fight within restrictive rules laid down by Bush & Co. If they start shooting now they know that before it starts that they will be fighting utterly and completely alone.

If the middle east goes hot it will be 1967 all over again. Israel will have to go all in on the ante and launch a massive strike in all directions with nothing held back. For the simple reason that if the initial attack doesn't work, there will be nothing left to defend anyways.

Iran didn't get to play in 1948, 1953, 1967, 1973. Iran sent some proxies out in 1982 to harass Israel, while Syria was having their entire air force shot down without inflicting a single loss on Israel. Iran has never been on the receiving end of a full on decisive attack from a country capable of delivering one. Think about how rudely Iran was handled by Iraq, and we took them out in a couple of days. Syria has been through this enough to understand that they can exhaust Israel in low level conflicts. But that in a stand up fight for survival their lives will become very exciting and exceedingly short.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

They couldn’t get past a village in Lebanon by dinner time in 2006.

Wait till the gloves come off. The Israelis fought the last Lebanon War under rules of engagement written by Helen Thomas. It's lunacy.

[The Comedian]

the Syrian official was quoted as saying in the cable. “We’re too weak.”

Wow, an honest assessment.

Not really. An honest assessment would be "We're too scared".

Syria knows what it's like to piss off Israel. Iran doesn't. Yet.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[jazminerose]

Ahhh, that’s who wrote our current ROE! Thanks for clearing that up, it makes sense now . . .

[jeltz25]

I hope you’re right. Although, I don’t think it was Bush and Co. I think it was more Olmert. In his book Bush says that many were pressuring him to step in(read Rice and the State Dept)but that Cheney and others wanted to give Israel the time to finish things. He sided with Cheney but at some point he realized that it just wasn’t going to happen and that’s when the UN negotiations really began.

Bush gave them the time and had nothing to do with the ROE. They just didn’t(or couldn’t) take advantage of it.

[GonzoGOP]

Bush gave them the time and had nothing to do with the ROE. They just didn’t(or couldn’t) take advantage of it.

But that time was contingent on not just leveling the buildings where Hezbola (SP?) had their missiles stored. It was made clear that if the collateral damage got too high the UN would go in immediately. In a war of survival there is no concern over collateral damage or how things play out on MSNBC. You just do what needs doing and apologize later.

In 1967 Israel struck Egypt without declaring war. They also annihilated retreating Egyptian columns. In 1973 they ignored cease fire agreements and kept pushing on the East bank of the Suez to ensure that the Egyptian army was cut off. These were all sound tactical decisions that they caught heck in the press for.

In both those wars they were fighting for survival. So bad press goes way down on the concerns list. In 2006 they were in a fight that they knew had to end in a political solution. So while the press would never be friendly, they had to at least give give Bush & Co. cover so that they could be there for them in the end of war negotiations. Since nothing Israel could do, except walk into the gas chamber, would make Obama happy they don't have to worry about the press. There is a certain perverse freedom that sets in when you have absolutely nothing left to lose.

[SJackson]

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[jeltz25]

all good points