Syria:Military Intervention To Re Claim Golan Heights?

Syria won't go to war for the heights!! .. Absolutely no cover on the ground, just a desert and shrubs.. moving an army into place is a big ol bullzeye for Israels air force and artillery. Not to mention Syria does not have the ability to wage war with anyone let alone Israel..

Above someone mentioned the water source. If Syria was to take back the land, or even be given it back, if they in anyway effected the amount of water coming from the territory I wouldn't put it past Israel to go to war over it. Hell. They go to war for everything else eh?

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Syria won't go to war for the heights!! .. Absolutely no cover on the ground, just a desert and shrubs.. moving an army into place is a big ol bullzeye for Israels air force and artillery. Not to mention Syria does not have the ability to wage war with anyone let alone Israel.

Most of the Middle East is desert and shrubs and that factor has yet to prevent wars for the last 1000+ years. There's also cover in buildings and mountains, and a lack of cover goes both ways.

Israel and Syria have fought over the Golan heights many times and taking the Golan is a strategic move. When the Syrians occupied it, they shelled, sniped and launched attacks on Israel for 18 years before being driven out in the 6 Day War. In Yom Kippur War of 73, Syrian forces invaded southern Golan before being driven out, so to say that Syria won't invade is ridiculous crystal ball wishcasting and not based on war history or present forces.

As Sun Tzu would say, "It may be soothing to your ego to underestimate the enemy, but your more likely to end up chop suey for buzzards."

If Hamas can wage war with Israel, Syria can...especially when Iran is backing them up and Russia is behind Iran. Libya, Sudan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia are now arming and supporting the Supreme Islamic Courts Council in the Somalian civil war, and you can pretty much bet they will side with Syria if large war breaks out...or risk insurrection in their own countries.

Time to go look at Syria's capabilities.




[edit on 11-11-2006 by Regenmacher]

Originally posted by timski
The Golan forms part of the aquifer-system that supplies Israel with most of their water supply, and is so vital to national security that they will never give up the area willingly, as to do so would severely comprimise Israeli 'water-security'

Well how many people here then believe it just coincidence that taking this strategic and important piece of land that was taken in a pre-emptive war, also just so happened to be coincidentally linked to the "water security"issue. What would they have done had they not gotten this piece of property if Syria did not think about attacking them? Lots of bottles of Spring water?

Water is a huge huge part of Middle East politics and one people often dont even think about. Water Politics/Wars will play a big role in the 21st century i beleive.

King Hussein of Jordan identified water as the only reason that might lead him to war with the Jewish state.

"People generally regard 5 June 1967 as the day the Six-day war began,'' he said. "That is the official date. But, in reality, it started two-and-a-half years earlier, on the day Israel decided to act against the diversion of the Jordan.''

The Nile, the world's longest river, is shared between nine countries whose population is likely to double within two decades; yet the volume of water the Nile provides today is no larger than it was when Moses was found in the bulrushes.

here


Forget Oil Wars, we will eventually reduce our dependance on ME oil, but you watch these guys blow up for water in the coming years, Water in my opinion will be more important than oil and the cause for enormous bloodshed.

If Hamas can wage war with Israel, Syria can...

Hamas has never 'waged War' against Israel. They have engaged in pathetic guerrilla attacks, which have never threatened Israel's existance. Syria and Iran can talk all day long, but they know what will happen if they Act!

Israel is not invincible as its conflict this past summer with Hezbullah shows. A nation can only stay on a war footing for so long before its will and morale begin to fade. That is why Bush/Cheney's war against terrorism will never succeed. Eventually the drain becomes too great, especially when you are fighting a nebulous enemy.

posted by Grover
A nation can only stay on a war footing for so long before its will and morale begin to fade.

Israel has been on a war footing since its inception.


Unfortunately, War is something that seems to be innately human.

www.warscholar.com...

Originally posted by HimWhoHathAnEar
Hamas has never 'waged War' against Israel. They have engaged in pathetic guerrilla attacks, which have never threatened Israel's existance. Syria and Iran can talk all day long, but they know what will happen if they Act!

To define it better would be calling it the Hezbollah/Hamas war on Israel, and you can go argue with the Jewish think-tank Camera about their semantics.

Backgrounder on Hezbollah/Hamas War on Israel Camera

They won't need to act: Bush is now a lame duck, Rummy got the boot, Iraq is a quagmire and the West is now in conciliatory mode:

• Why the world loves Syria Asia Times
• US 'open to Iran talks on Iraq' BBC
• Blair urges world to engage Iran, Syria The Age
• Australia's Howard backs Syria, Iran talks on Iraq Reuters
• White House Open To Working With Iran, Syria On Iraq Fix ABC

Originally posted by Rockpuck
EDIT: Check out my thread on Bashar Al Asad, the current leader of Syria. You will find, while he does not like Israel he is a very rational leader and would not make such a stupid decision as to go to war with Israel.

Yes, well, I assume all London-accredited opthalmologists to have at least a minimum of brainpower to their credit.

The problem with most national leaders is that there are no minimum entry requirments, not only does democracy encourage every moron with half an idea to think big, but developing nations encourage every rock-ape with a solid bone head to gravitate towards the centre.

What, I ask you, is wrong with electing Rhodes Scholars? We did once and it worked out okay.

I also suspect someone is stirring the pot regarding Golan. Part of the problem is that Syria are making negotiations over Shebaa Farms part of their demands and the Israelis are saying it's a totally separate issue with a separate solution.

posted by regenmacher
They won't need to act: Bush is now a lame duck, Rummy got the boot, Iraq is a quagmire and the West is now in conciliatory mode:

Unfortunately, this does seem to be the case. Israel, however, ignores these threats at its own peril. They don't have the luxury of being a large country, or being far removed from a Nuclear armed Iran. I'm afraid they will act on their own. Which, all things considered, may turn out worse than if we had stayed in the fight.

Originally posted by HowlrunnerIV
I also suspect someone is stirring the pot regarding Golan. Part of the problem is that Syria are making negotiations over Shebaa Farms part of their demands and the Israelis are saying it's a totally separate issue with a separate solution.

As was mentioned earlier in the thread about the 'Golan Water-shed' and the aquifer system that is so essential to the State of Israels' survival; Shebaa Farms, at the head waters of the river Jordan, also supply the same aquifer system, and with Israel's current growth and water usage rates, is out-stripping demand, and possibly the determining factor in this summers' offensive into Lebanon and the continued occupation of the South of the Levant.

The DMZ 'border' that was declared in Southern Lebanon after the conflict was to be the banks of the Litani River, identified as early as 1905 as an essential supply of water to the yet-to-be nation. Several demands were made to include this water resource within Israeli borders by the World Zionist Organization to the League of Nations and were rejected, and since then, Israel has looked to take those resources by force; and did so with the exception of the Litani, in the '67 war

When you consider that Israel draws nearly 50% of it's water supply from occupied Arab territories, then there can be no end to the conflicts until Israel accepts that it can only live within it's 'hydrological means' or develops and adopts large-scale desalination technology to meet current demand

The Litani River conflict
Water and Lebanon

(edit to add links)

[edit on 16-11-2006 by timski]

Originally posted by timski

When you consider that Israel draws nearly 50% of it's water supply from occupied Arab territories, then there can be no end to the conflicts until Israel accepts that it can only live within it's 'hydrological means' or develops and adopts large-scale desalination technology to meet current demand

If I'm not mistaken The Litani is also one of the old biblical boundries for Israel.

If I'm not mistaken The Litani is also one of the old biblical boundries for Israel.

Exactly, it's a part of the Great Israël... the stupid land grab because it's written in a book by the zionists themselves. If a nazi would have wrote a book saying that Poland was a german territory, would nazis had the right to annex it? NO. Zionists are not above everyone else, they should understand it... but unless it's from the US, they won't understand I think.

[edit on 17-11-2006 by Vitchilo]

That's just the thing. If Israel actually believed said book, then they would go out to those boundarie's, or would have done so already. In doing so, they would know that they would have divine protection. But, sadly, they are not the people of faith that you portray them to be.