OUR FRIENDS THE SYRIANS

Rice: Syria a Real Problem for Middle East Peace - Yitzhak Benhorin
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a Senate subcommittee Thursday, "Syria continues to be a major funder of terrorism; a major harborer of those elements of the Palestinian political elite, for instance, who are opposed to a two-state solution, who are the ones who continue to perpetrate violence in the Palestinian territories and to attempt to do it in Israel. And so, in terms of Middle East peace, the Syrians are a real problem for leaders like Mahmoud Abbas who want to take a different course toward a two-state solution."

"Syrian behavior is such that, particularly in the support that it gives to elements of Hamas that are preventing a two-state solution, it's not exhibited an attitude that suggests that it's ready for or intending to try and pursue peace," she said. "Syria is a significant problem, not just for American policy in the Middle East, but for democratic forces that are trying to take hold in the Middle East," Rice concluded. (Ynet News)

Syria Applying Lessons of the Second Lebanon War - Aluf Benn and Shmuel Rosner
The Syrians are adjusting their armed forces according to what they saw in the Second Lebanon War. According to Israeli intelligence experts, the Syrian army is busy raising the level of readiness, stepping up training and arming itself with up-to-date weapons, especially anti-tank missiles. "They're arming themselves with all the weapons that Hizbullah successfully used against us," one source said. The Syrians have also deployed more forces in the area of the buffer zone near the Israeli border, and have improved their positions. But according to the same sources, the Syrian preparations are defensive in nature. (Ha'aretz)