Israeli Attack on Syria Could Presage Strike on Iran
Newsmax
Wednesday September 19, 2007
Reports surfaced this week that Israel had launched an air attack against a site in Syria believed to be a nuclear-related facility containing material delivered by North Korea.
The Sept. 6 air strike generated surprisingly little outcry from the rest of the world, and not as much press as might be expected.
But it could have major implications: Some see the attack as a warning to Iran that Israel will not allow a nuclear-armed adversary in the region.
The strike was carried out several days after a ship with North Korean cargo docked in a Syrian port, according to current and former American and Israeli officials. The cargo was transferred to the site Israel later attacked, the officials told the New York Times.
North Korea has previously sold weapons and missile technology to Syria as well as Iran, but it has never been caught exporting nuclear-related material to either country.
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Details about the raid remain elusive. But as the officials spoke anonymously, China abruptly canceled plans to host diplomatic discussions in Beijing on North Korea’s intentions to disband its nuclear facilities. China’s move was seen as an attempt to avoid a possible confrontation between the U.S. and North Korea over its alleged nuclear support for Syria.
The officials disclosed that the Israeli government notified Washington about the air attack before it was launched, but it is unclear whether the U.S. supported the strike or advised against it.
It is also unclear if the U.S. agrees with Israeli intelligence’s assessment that the targeted site was nuclear-related.
But American and Israeli officials “who have received briefings from Israeli sources said Monday that the raid was an attempt by Israel to destroy a site that Israel believed to be associated with a rudimentary Syrian nuclear program,” the Times reported.
North Korea strongly denied that it has provided Syria with secret nuclear cooperation, claiming on Tuesday that the charge was fabricated to block progress in the North's relations with the U.S.
In any case, the Israeli attack is bound to send a message to Iran about its nuclear ambitions. An analysis in the Jerusalem Post indicated that Israel “will be seen in a few key capitals as the force that will not allow nuclear proliferation in the region.”
The Post also noted “the resounding lack of condemnation – either in Europe or even in the Arab world – to Israel’s alleged attack…
“The world, for the most part, dislikes the idea of a nuclear Middle East. Witness French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner’s recent comment that France should prepare for the possibility of war over Iran’s nuclear program.”
Kouchner said in an interview on Sunday: “We must prepare for the worst … The worst, sir, is war."
Iran insists it only wants to master nuclear technology to produce electricity, but it has yet to comply with United Nations demands that it halt uranium enrichment and other work that could lead to weapons production.
Regarding Israel’s motives for the strike in Syria, the Post observed: “It’s one thing to harbor terrorists who want to destroy Israel … but it is something different entirely to get into the same nuclear bed with North Korea.”
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2007/190907Israeli.htm