Syrian radar station in Lebanon hit

By Kesava Menon

MANAMA(BAHRAIN), APRIL. 16. In a dangerous escalation, Israeli war-planes struck a Syrian radar installation in Lebanon and killed two Syrian soldiers in a raid conducted in the early hours of this morning. Lebanon's President, Mr. Emil Lahoud, has warned that this incident could be the cause of a wider confrontation and while an official Syrian response is awaited there is no doubting the mood of anger. Israel has said that the raid was intended to send a message to Syria and Lebanon that they must act decisively to curb the Hizbollah.

Six Israeli war-planes were said to have taken part in the attack on the Syrian radar installation in the Dar al Baydar area of Lebanon. The Lebanese government has announced that two Syrian soldiers were killed in the raid. Syrian troops stationed in Lebanon believed to number about 30,000 were put on a state of high alert. Approval for the raid was given by the Israeli Cabinet which met late yesterday evening. This meeting was convened to discuss the response that Israel should take in respect of heightened tensions on its borders with Lebanon and the continuing confrontation in the Palestinian territories that has not abated despite the launch of stuttering security talks.

The immediate provocation, or at least the stated justification, for Israel's action of last night was the rocket attack on an Israeli tank by Hizbollah fighters on Saturday. An Israeli soldier was killed in this attack on the patrol in the disputed Shebaa farms on the Israel-Lebanon border. Hizbollah and the Lebanese government claim that the Shebaa farms are their territory and that their attacks on Israel will continue so long as Israel does not vacate the farms.

The U.N. has ruled that the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon is complete and the Secretary-General's envoy warned the Lebanese government after Saturday's attack that such incidents were in violation of the U.N. ruling. (Incidentally, the Shebaa farms area of the Israel-Lebanon border comes under the supervision of the Indian contingent of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon which however has no mandate to insert itself between the contestants).

Saturday's incident was a part of a pattern of sporadic attacks carried out by Hizbollah. In response to that attack, like the ones carried out earlier, Israel had hit Hizbollah targets with artillery shells and rockets from planes and helicopter gunships. Israel had also repeated its warnings that they would not target Hizbollah alone but would also strike against Lebanese infrastructure and the Syrian military if the Beirut and Damascus governments did not curb Hizbollah. But over and above all the raid was intended to send a more general message.

Israeli analysts believe that the Hizbollah, the Palestinians and the Arab world in general have been suffering from a misconception since Israel withdrew its troops from Lebanon nearly 11 months ago. Hizbollah, which had reason to be proud of its long resistance to Israeli occupation, saw the Israeli withdrawal as their victory. But from this they drew the further conclusion that Israel had become a paper tiger militarily speaking and that it was therefore possible to indefinitely continue a confrontation with it.

In the course of their uprising, the Palestinians too have been citing the example of the Hizbollah. Taking into consideration these trends, Israeli analysts and officials believe that the Arab world in general has a misconception of Israel's true strength and there have been several voices in Israel calling for a demonstration of this strength.

Comments to the BBC by Mr. Rannan Gissin, senior advisor to Israel's Prime Minister, Mr. Ariel Sharon, suggest that the intention was to reaffirm that Israel is the main military force in the region and that they will not hesitate to use that clout. The message, Mr. Gissin said, was that Syria and Lebanon should learn ``not to mess with us''.

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Section  : International
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