US War on Terror May Spread to Syria, Report Says
By Jeff McKay
CNSNews.com Correspondent
January 23, 2004
(CNSNews.com) - A new report indicates that Syria may be the next target in the
U.S. war on terror.
In a report released Friday by the London-based Jane's Intelligence Digest,
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was quoted as saying that the U.S. is
considering "multi-faceted attacks," which could be conducted against Hezbollah
positions in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, controlled by Syria.
According to the report, the U.S. move would "almost certainly involve a
confrontation" between American Special Forces and Syrian troops.
The report highlights potential military action against Somalia as well as
Syria. According to the Jane's report, "Covert U.S. forces have periodically
infiltrated Somalia over the past two years to conduct surveillance and even
potentially snatch suspects wanted for the November 2002 suicide bomb attacks
in Mombassa, Kenya."
In near simultaneous attacks, al Qaeda terrorists bombed a hotel and attempted
to bring down an Israeli airliner using a shoulder-fired, surface-to-air
missile.
In addition, the Jane's report states that during the past six months, there
has been an increased US military presence along the Syrian border with Iraq
"and, on several occasions, [the U.S.] has sent special forces into Syrian
territory or penetrated Syrian air space."
The report also detailed a running gun battle between Saddam loyalists and U.S.
troops who crossed into Syrian territory, resulting in the deaths of dozens of
people, including Syrian nationals.
The Syrian government has always maintained close ties with both Iraq and Iran,
and has been a hotbed of Arab radicalism, allowing terrorist groups such as
Hamas and Hizbullah to maintain offices in Damascus.
The ruling power in the Syrian government is the Baath Party, a secular and
socialist-leaning political group headed by Syrian President Bashar Assad, the
son of former Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad. Saddam Hussein and the Baath Party
led Iraq before its fall to U.S.-led coalition forces.
Administration officials have expressed increasing frustration with Syria and
have said the country "is on the wrong side in the war on terror."
Just last year, Congress adopted the Syrian Accountability Act, a comprehensive
outline pledging sanctions if Syria does not halt its support for terrorism,
end its occupation of Lebanon, stop its development of weapons of mass
destruction, cease its illegal importation of Iraqi oil, and be accountable for
its role in the Middle East.
Over the last three weeks, three high ranking Cabinet officials have made it
clear that Syria needs to take immediate proactive measures to create stability
in the Middle East.
While briefing reporters after President Bush's recent trip to Mexico, National
Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice suggested that hundreds of millions of
dollars - and maybe Iraqi weapons -- may have been smuggled into Syria.
"There are a number of issues that we'd like to discuss with the
Syrians......including the borders with Iraq and what may have happened in the
past there and what may be continuing to happen there," said Rice.
Earlier this week, an Israeli soldier was killed while clearing mines planted
by Hizbullah at the Israel-Lebanon border, when Hezbollah terrorists fired
anti-tank weapons. Israel responded by shelling Hizbullah positions during a
raid by the Israeli Air Force in Lebanon.
The terrorist action launched from Syrian-controlled Lebanese territory drew a
rebuke from Secretary of State Colin Powell.
"The deliberate action that [Hizbullah] took, which resulted in the loss of
life, once again demonstrates the nature of that organization," Powell told
reporters. "I would hope the Syrians would, once again, understand that any
support (for terrorists) is destabilizing in the region and is not in the
interest of peace."
The Jane's report said any U.S. action against Hezbollah in Lebanon could
create a domino effect, creating immediate instability in an already unstable
region.
"The political consequences of a U.S. attack against Lebanon...could result in
the destabilization of a country that is still rebuilding its infrastructure a
decade after a ruinous 15-year civil war and would also fuel Muslim and Arab
hostility toward
the US at a time when US-led occupation forces are fighting the ongoing
insurgency in Iraq," noted the report. It also said any U.S. actions could lead
to a regime change in Syria.
"However, given the Bush administration's doctrine of pre-emptive strikes, it
remains entirely possible that Washington will soon launch military strikes
against Lebanon, regardless of the consequences for wider regional stability,"
the Jane's report said.
US objectives from a confrontation with Syria would include neutralizing
Hezbollah and ending its presumed connections with al Qaeda; withdrawal of
Syrian occupation forces from Lebanon; potential regime change in Damascus; and
creating better coexistence between Israel and Syria.
With U.S. troops regularly patrolling the Iraq-Syrian border, and with a
massive military presence in the region, the question of whether the war on
terror would lead to Damascus is an ongoing topic of discussion in some
quarters.
"Syria clearly needs to do more," said Jon Alterman, Director of Middle East
Programs for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International
Studies.
"While there are some in the office of the Secretary of Defense who may want to
raise the options, raising the options doesn't mean the action is around the
corner," he said.
"While the Syrians are looking into many avenues, including re-starting peace
talks with Israel, it is clear the government can't keep doing what it has been
doing."
Alterman, who was in Syria as recently as a month ago, says this is a time of
confusion on the "Syrian street" as to what path their government will take in
the post-9/11 world.
"The Syrian people do not know what role their nation should play in the world.
They do know that with their ties to Iraq cut off, their world is changing,"
Alterman added.
Jim Besser, the Washington correspondent for The Jewish Week said he doubts
U.S. military action against Syria is imminent: "I don't see this
administration embarking on another military campaign while issues are still
pending in Iraq, and before an election with successes already in hand," he
said.
"There needs to be peaceful coexistence in the Middle East between Israel and
its neighbors, but without the terror groups reined in, the region will remain
unstable."
According to Besser, although an imminent military move against Syria is
unlikely, he believes the US-led war on terror will not end in Iraq.
"In the end, one thing that is for sure is there must be a focus on al Qaeda,
and all groups with al Qaeda ties," he said.
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