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Israeli Official Warns of Chemical Warfare Against Syria
Mohammed Mar'i
Arab News
RAMALLAH: A senior Israeli defense official warned that any future military conflict with Syria may include chemical warfare and fighting against guerrilla and regular army forces, a
report said yesterday.
The Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot quoted Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi, head of the GOC Army Headquarters, as saying during the Land Maneuver in the 21st Century conference that “Syria has a large, equipped
and trained regular army, and lately we have identified some guerilla activity in its ranks.”
The report came a day after Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said that the fifth round of Turkish-mediated peace talks
between Syria and Israel this week has been postponed at Israel’s request.
But alongside the optimism surrounding the indirect talks with Syria, Israel is gearing up for a far more pessimistic scenario, with senior
military officials estimating that the Jewish state would face a major missile threat should a conflict break out.
As for the possibility of a preemptive strike, Mizrahi said “if the air force can prevent (Syrian) forces
from making their way to the front lines, this will help our forces.” The general added that a future military confrontation with Syria may include chemical warfare.
Meanwhile, the Israeli High Court of Justice yesterday
issued a temporary restraining order against the Israeli forces intent to tear down structures in the illegal West Bank settlement outpost of Yad Yair, on the western outskirts of Ramallah.
The order, however, arrived
too late, as Israeli forces and Civil Administration officials had already razed the buildings. The Israeli forces declared the Yad Yair area a restricted military zone and, according to Palestinian sources, instructed
Palestinian security forces to vacate the area.
Yad Yair settlers filed an urgent motion against the demolition, citing vacating the outpost’s residents and tearing it down was illegal. The Israeli forces and Civil
Administration, stated the petition, intend on “acting clandestinely, in a way that is sure to irrevocably harm us, while the option of giving (the settlers) the proper notice has yet to be utilized.”
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