An article in the Lebanese daily Al-Safir, which is close to Syria, stated that the Syrian army is today on military alert, making it possible for Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Mu'alem to threaten Israel with war. It added that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has reinforced the army with missiles and land capabilities.
The paper said that Syria would also become involved in a war in the event that Israel attacked Hizbullah, not it directly – but that Syria and Hizbullah do not expect such a war any time soon.
Ibrahim Al-Amin, chairman of the board of directors of the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, which is close to Syria, said that Al-Mu'alem's threat to Israel was not a response to statements by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, but that it expressed the assessment that Israel wants to attack Syria for its support of the resistance and that it was a message that any such attack would spark conflict that would go beyond its local dimensions.
The Saudi daily Al-Watan stated that the Arabs are realizing that concessions to Israel have been disappointing, and that they must examine whether they have made a mistake by abandoning the option of the rifle.
Sources: Al-Akhbar, Al-Safir, Lebanon, February 5, 2010; Al-Watan, Saudi Arabia, February 4, 2010
