The Kuwaiti press claims a pair of scoops on the September 6 Israeli air strike in Syria.
The Al Jerida newspaper reported Friday that retired Iranian general Ali Reza Asgari, who defected in February, gave Israel the intelligence on Syria’s missile program used in the Syrian airstrike. After the former deputy defense minister and Revolutionary Guard commander disappeared during a visit to Istanbul in February of this year it was widely reported in both the English and Arabic press that he was providing a gold mine of info to Western intelligence agencies.
Meanwhile, Kuwait’s Al Watan newspaper, citing senior European diplomats, reported Friday that US jets provided air cover to the Israeli fighter jets during the Syrian air strike. Writes Al Watan:
The sources said Washington had intensified its efforts to corner Assad, in order to make him confront the two opposing factions within the ruling regime. One of those factions is calling for direct retaliation against Israel, while the other prefers avoiding entanglement in a conflict whose results are uncertain, fearing the possibility that the Israeli air raid is an attempt to provoke a knee jerk reaction from Syria and draw it into a war that will extend to Iran.
12 responses so far ↓
1 eamonn // Sep 29, 2007 at 3:38 am
so the Americans provided cover, it couldn’t possibly be that that the Israelis did it - whatever it was - on their own. stuff like this reminds me of the conclusions reached in Harkabi’s book
2 Pappe // Sep 29, 2007 at 5:14 am
Jets operating 50 K”m from Iraq border must have Friend-Foe codes used in Iraq air space…..
3 Charles Barton // Sep 29, 2007 at 5:30 pm
The reports that Israeli comandos were engaged in ground operations during the air raid is consistant with an insetion from the Iraqi Syrian border, and thus with full American knowledge and cooperation. The fact that the Syrians have said virtually nothing about the operation, says that they are very embarrased about something. One reason for Israeli silence is that it hides American involvement.
4 Jenin // Sep 29, 2007 at 6:42 pm
The reason that Israel keeps silent is that they wanted to save face for Syrians: to reduce Syria’s “need” to retaliate.
On the other hand it is clear that Israel was ready for a full scale war with Syria – should Syria decide to take that route. This was so important that they took this risk.
5 Compulsive Reader // Sep 29, 2007 at 8:50 pm
“gave Israel the intelligence on Syria’s missile program used in the Syrian airstrike.”
Is that en exact quote, pointing away from the magic NK nuclear bs?
6 Green // Sep 29, 2007 at 10:54 pm
I may very well be mistaken, but it seems to me the Kuwaiti paper just took two mystery-coated stories, that are raising a lot of speculation, and stuck them together. Of course it is possible that Askari had info about Syria, but would’nt someone in Iran or Syria do damage assesment after someone like that is kidnapped, knowing he would be interrogated? and would’nt that someone make sure that whatever info he had, would’nt be relevant anymore, once an enemy got hold of him?
7 Mike Nargizian // Sep 30, 2007 at 5:49 am
Israeli silence is simple.
They don’t need to brag about an apparent successful operation. Israelis won’t dance in the streets over it.
Second, obviously there is a lot more going on here…. and you can be sure of 1 thing -
Whatever the full story the press doesn’t know it…. let alone the Kuwaiti Press…. which amazingly found a way to show the “Americans gave the horrible Zionists cover”…. kind of counter to the other oft thown up answer to any story….. “The Arabs could not have done it… they are not advanced enough… only the Mossad could be advanced enough to pull off an operation like this”……. So the Israelis were apparently able to “pull off” 9/11 but not seize vital material from Syria and successfully bomb a vital target in Syria… with the best Air Force pilots East of the Atlantic and maybe even West of the Atlantic….
Remember, the Syrian regime is hated by many groups in Syria… there are many Syrian Jews in Israel… and Israel once had the Minister of Defense in Syria.
On a final note -
I am all for freedom of the press…. but I find it very interesting when Haaretz, like some outfits in the US (NY Times) have purposefully printed material not necessarily due to “providing the public with vital material”….. but either or both - 1) To be the first to get the story out and boost sales and the writer’s own career
2) To slight a current administration they are opposed to… (NY Times)
WHILE ENDANGERING THE LIVES of undercover Intelligence officers in the field and the safety of fellow countryman via…. taking away a potential advantage the country spent countless dangerous man hours over years in the field to put in place.
All in the name of Freedom of the Press to make a buck and advance their own career. Because you see the press could never be hypocritical and self important, after all they are the final arbiters of what is important and vital to “your” freedom.
Mike
PS I am not directing this at the writer of this blog, btw.
8 Zanubiyah // Sep 30, 2007 at 5:14 pm
This does not seem strange to you that Bush is not using this as “propaganda” against the Syrians, and to prove that they and Iran are trying to get nukes?
Doesnt it seems also strange that this supposed missile sight, being so close to the Iraq border would not have been taken out by American forces, who would see it as a threat to their interests in Iraq, or at least let it be known in the press that the Syrians were “pointing weapons at Iraq”
I hate to put my 2 cents in here, but I think the “air strike” was much more sinister than what the west is portraying it to be. I think that the Israeli jets were heading for Iran to do something to give the pretext for the already planned invasion there. They got caught, and dropped their ordinace…and remember extra fuel tanks…in order to get away. Do you really need extra fuel tanks for destroying a missile posistion in Syria?
Notice too that only Israel and the US are “confirming” that something was targeted. The Syrians (who can’t hide it because so many civilians saw it) say that the bombs were dropped in an unihabited area, and no one was hurt. In the Arab press, this seems to be confirmed.
9 Pappe // Oct 1, 2007 at 6:24 am
“The Syrians (who can’t hide it because so many civilians saw it) ”
Yes. Freedom of the press is known as an old Syrian tradition…….
10 Mike Nargizian // Oct 1, 2007 at 9:29 pm
Yeah, but there was an Israeli Haaretz reporter who supposedly traveled to the “site” of the bombing…. I don’t know if he wrote about it yet though.
11 Lewis // Oct 2, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Zanubiyah wrote:
“They got caught, and dropped their ordinace…and remember extra fuel tanks…in order to get away. Do you really need extra fuel tanks for destroying a missile posistion in Syria?”
I’ve read no report of dropping anything other than fuel tanks, except maybe ordinance at the actual target. As for fuel, in a combat jet, fuel=maneuverability and speed. Using afterburners for extra speed or twisting and turning in a dogfight or from a missiles takes a lot of fuel, so the more of it you have, the better. Therefore, the best thing is to use the fuel in the droppable fuel tanks first, only dropping them once detected or when they’re empty, to conserve the fuel stored in permanent tanks. Extra fuel is always useful in combat.
If Israel wanted to fly to Iran, there are much safer routes than through Syria.
12 Peter Johnson // Oct 7, 2007 at 2:31 pm
‘Yeah, but there was an Israeli Haaretz reporter who supposedly traveled to the “site” of the bombing…. I don’t know if he wrote about it yet though.’
Yes, he/she did. I saw the story filed as a recent link on http://www.mimico-by-the-lake.com/politics.htm, which maintains an excellent archive on this and other topics. There was, if I recollect, also a later follow-up story (also linked there) which said that this was some kind of innocent ‘research establishment’ which was surprised to learn that it had been ‘bombed’!
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