Word: syrian
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Syrian army has occupied Lebanon for almost as long as the Israelis have, and Damascus retains de facto military and political control over its fragile neighbor. Israel's Lebanon dilemma had for most of the past decade been a key bargaining chip in Syria's efforts to negotiate a peace agreement involving Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights. Israel's unilateral retreat from Lebanon has now deprived Damascus of that leverage, calling Syria's bluff. Moreover, it's beginning to raise the question among Lebanese of what purpose is served by Syria's presence, which has been presented...
...Syria's immediate goal will be to maintain its influence over events in Lebanon, and to continue to press Israel to meet Syrian terms for a peace agreement...
...Israel's withdrawal creates a strategic dilemma for Syria's President Hafez Assad. He had warned Israel that leaving Lebanon without a Syrian security guarantee would leave the Jewish state dangerously exposed; now he has to consider whether to allow or encourage further attacks on Israel or to keep the peace. While it doesn?t directly control Hezbollah, Syria tolerates and at times encourages the guerrillas' actions against Israel, and also acknowledges it has the power to stop them. While Assad will be tempted to allow a period of instability along the border to underscore Syria?s indispensability to Israel...
...Israel has warned that any attacks across the border will be answered with massive retaliation, both against Syrian and Lebanese targets inside Lebanon, a situation that highlights the danger of a new escalation of regional conflict. But if Israel retaliates with massive force, that could potentially ratchet up the conflict to dangerous levels by prompting widespread rocket attacks across the border or even drawing in Syria. However, despite its desire to prove to Barak that peace on his northern border is impossible without Syria, Damascus has no desire to be drawn into a full-blown war with its militarily stronger...
...refusal to accept Assad's demand of total Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, which Israel took control of during the 1967 war. Syria's primary leverage in dealing with Israel in recent years has been its ability to guarantee security in Lebanon, which is subject to de facto Syrian military control, and allow Israel to end an occupation that's deeply unpopular with the Israeli electorate. But when talks broke down over the Golan issue, Prime Minister Ehud Barak decided to call Syria's bluff by unilaterally withdrawing from a war that was costing Israeli lives with little security...