IDF Intel Official: Syria Is Weapons Silo For Hezbollah

Jerusalem – Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, Israel’s director of military intelligence, briefed Israeli government ministers at the weekly Israel government cabinet meeting about Hezbollah’s current operations in Syria.

“Syria is becoming Hezbollah’s weapons silo,” he warned.

“[Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad relies on Hezbollah today more than on his own army. Top Hezbollah leaders do whatever they want in Syria. The Syrians have given them free rein, and their behavior is irresponsible. They put at Hezbollah’s disposal almost all the strategic capability they have.”

Maj. Gen. Yadlin described the situation in Iran as one of taking advantage of the changing American and Israeli governments in an effort to improve its strategic position and fight off efforts to suppress its nuclear program.

“True, the world economic crisis is hard on Iran – and this is the point to note a drop of $15 billion in oil revenue – but at the same time, it even further lessens the willingness of the international community to take economic sanctions and to enforce them,” he said.

The Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) intelligence director also discussed the Sept. 27 terror attack in Syria in which 17 people were killed.

“Those who lie down with dogs should not be surprised when they wake up with fleas,” he said.

Maj. Gen. Yadlin said described it as a global jihad terror attack, which he said violated the unwritten agreement between the Islamic extremists and the Syrian regime, which mainly referred to giving global jihad free movement into Iraq and Lebanon as long as it didn’t act against the Syrian regime.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com. His Web site is www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com

©The Bulletin 2008