Syrian reporter: In Syria there is atmosphere of eve of war

Exclusive: In conversation in Damascus, senior Syrian journalist tells about
sentiments in Syria ('as if there will be war any moment'); talks about
military preparations in his country ('identifying your reinforcements in
Golan Heights'); and estimates that Israeli pounding in Lebanon to intensify
grassroots support of Nasrallah and his organization. Also in Syria, he
says, Nasrallah more popular than ever

Ali Waked YNET 27 July 2006
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3282279,00.html

As the conflict with Hizbullah in Lebanon escalates by the day, the question
of Syria's involvement in the conflict becomes increasingly more relevant.

"The atmosphere in Syria is in every way an atmosphere of war, or at least
of the eve of war. Syrian television for the first time since the '80's has
started broadcasting Syrian military marches and nationalistic songs. There
is not difference between Syrian television broadcasts and Al-Manar
broadcasts of the Hizbullah. The broadcasts are in preparation for war, as
if Syria is involved in this war, or is going to be involved at any moment.
The local newspapers and the television are conducting themselves as if they
are preparing the Syrian public for war."

These comments were made by a senior Syrian journalist in a telephone
interview from Damascus. It isn't easy these days of war that they don't
have there, to convince a Syrian to accept an interview with the Israeli
media, even when we're not there. One must remember that each side has his
messages to transmit. And yet, the picture sketched by this senior
journalist reveals the great concern in Damascus about the operations of
Israel - and definitively paints a picture of preparedness for war. A
conversation with an interviewee beyond the Golan.

In Israel there is talk that Syria and her army have considerably raised
their alert since the start of fighting in Lebanon. Is this indeed the
reality there?

"This, in my opinion, is the reality where you are. The Syrian army has
identified intensive activity of the Israeli army on the Golan Heights. At
first they identified lights on some of the bases at night in Syria. We have
noticed a rehabilitation and revival of the Israeli military bases on the
Golan on which no one has set foot for more than ten years. We see Israeli
soldiers rehabilitating these bases and equipping them."

Paranthetically, it should be mentioned in this article that from the
beginning of IDF operations in Lebanon, the level of preparedness on the
Golan Heights has been raised noticeably along the border between Syria and
Israel. The IDF estimated that the Hizbullah has an interest of bringing
Syria into the confrontation, and that the organization would not be loathe
to launching Katyushas at the Golan Heights. However, Israel has openly
declared that Damascus is out of the game at this point and that there is no
intention to confront Syria. With this, the IDF heightened its intelligence
alertness along the border, including a larger-than-usual military presence
meant to respond to any development in the region.

Beyond the pre-war atmosphere that you described, is there deployment for
war or concrete steps of the government and army towards the possibility
that Syria will become part of the war?

"I can't say if the army is taking practical steps to prepare for such an
option, but what is certain is that Syria has consolidated once and for all
the stance that the current situation, especially the occupation of the
Golan, needs to stop. If there will be a solution to the current war in
Lebanon, we must be part of this solution. And that means negotiation and
returning the Golan to the Syrians. And if there won't be a solution, the
stance is that we must prepare to liberate the Golan through different
means - there aren't many other ways."

How does the Syrian government respond to the accusations of sources in the
IDF and in Israel that Syria isn't only aiding the Iranians to transfer
weapons to the Hizbullah, but is contributing herself to the arming of
Hizbullah with Syrian rockets?

"All the senior and official representatives who have been asked to respond
to these accusations have stridently denied them. The official stance, and
this is the truth, is that the trucks passing through that the Israeli army
is bombing, are trucks for humanitarian aid, carrying food, equipment, and
donations that the Syrian people raised or aid from other countries that
arrives through Syria. For instance, one of the convoys that was bombed was
a convoy of ambulances from the Emirates in the Gulf that was designated for
the Lebanese people."

The Syrian journalist also claims that the nature of the explosions testify
to the fact that the trucks were not carrying rockets, ammunition, or
explosives. "True, there was one time that the explosion was different than
the regular ones. This happened when Israeli planes bombed trucks carrying
car oil. Then the explosion was different. Syrian television was the first
to photograph this explosion. Would they have photographed if Syria had
something to hide?

Is Syria ready for a script in which it assists the US to stop the Hizbullah
in exchange for a return of Syrian influence in Lebanon and cancellation of
anti-Syrian sanctions?

"Whoever has followed the mood in the government and in the Syrian street
after the completion of the withdrawal from Lebanon, understands that the
emphasis today from the perspective of the government and the Syrian people
is on the Golan and the need to return it to Syria - and less on Lebanon."

So, how do you explain that many in Israel and in the world see Syria as a
key to solving the current conflict?

"That is because of the special relationship between Syria and the
Hizbullah. These are excellent relations, but Syria today doesn't enjoy the
same influence over them that they did in the past."

As an example of the great fondness of Syrians for the Hizbullah, the Syrian
journalist brings the following story: "In Syria, it is customary in homes,
businesses, and shops to hang pictures of the president's family. A picture
of the late president Hafez Assad in the center, to the left a picture of
the current president, Dr. Bashar, and to the right a picture of the slain
son Bassal, the president's brother, whom the Syrian people loved very much.

"But today, especially since the outbreak of fighting, the phenomenon
gaining momentum is to swap the picture of the beloved Bassal with a picture
of Hassan Nasrallah. This is to express how much we in Syria love and
appreciate what Nasrallah has done for the Arab nation. Not for a specific
community, not for his country, but for the entire Arab nation."

In Israel there is talk that the current war is a war of the home front and
of the patience of the simple people for a continuation of the war
situation. We hope that the rest of the war, especially the crushing air
strikes and the destruction they wreak, will bring about an uprising of the
Lebanese public against Hizbullah that will compel them to stop firing.

"Whoever says that doesn't know Lebanon and her population and hasn't been
following the political developments in the period before the war. The
Hizbullah's Shiite community is the largest community in Lebanon. Many
Sunnis also support Hizbullah. Also, Hizbullah enjoys broad support in the
most important section of the Christian population, that which is
represented by the general, Michel Aoun, who won the majority of the
Christian votes in parliamentary elections."

"We see, for example, Walid Junblatt, who severely criticized the events of
the first few days, is the one who today provides cover and aid for
thousands of refugees in his area of Mount Lebanon. He does this not only
out of humanitarian motives, but also to improve his image a little in
Lebanon.

"Even Hariri's representatives and their supporters adopting a similar
approach and are dealing with humanitarian aid in order to weaken the
criticism they gave at first. At the current time, the social fabric in
Lebanon is rallying more and more around support for Hizbullah, giving them
the necessary strength to continue this fight."

Hanan Greenberg contributed to the report

(07.27.06, 17:02)