Syria's unprecedented arms build up

Originally Posted at Right Truth

Israel is concerned with the Syrian built up of arms. 'Syrian armed forces appear to be moving closer to the armistice line as Damascus spearheads an unprecendented armaments drive,' but many believe this is in preparation for another Israeli-Lebanese war.

Haaretz said the main thrust of Syria's armaments drive was missiles and long-range rockets, with its navy being bolstered by an Iranian missile similar to one fired by Hezbollah, killing four Israeli sailors last summer.

Syria is also close to concluding a deal with Russia to procure thousands of advanced anti-tank missiles, ... (source)

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The Syrian army has strengthened its capabilities in a way unprecedented in recent memory, aided by Iranian funding, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. The Syrians are putting an emphasis on long-range missiles able to reach most of Israel's large cities, the report indicated. Damascus is also close to signing a large deal with Russia to buy thousands of advanced anti-tank missiles. Following last August's war between Israel and Lebanon's Hizbullah, some speculation arose in Israel about a possible conflict with Syria in the summer of 2007. Israeli officials denied these speculations, but it seems Syria has taken them seriously. Recent reports also indicate that the Syrian forces have advanced units closer to the Israeli border. Meanwhile, Israel on Wednesday completed a military exercise of its paratrooper battalion. The exercise took place on the Golan Heights, an area that Israel captured from Syria in 1967. Israel's Defense Minister Amir Peretz said this was the most important exercise the army had conducted in the past five years. Nevertheless, Peretz stressed that it was not connected to any future conflict. --The Media Line via Haaretz

Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad, head of the political-military bureau at the Defense Ministry, said on Thursday that there was nothing in Syria's military build-up to indicate that the country intended to attack Israel in the near future. (JP)

Syria has chosen sides with Iran, but may be in the minority since Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (uae), as well as Jordan, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (gcc), oppose Iran's nuclear program and prominent position in the region.