Syria is shuffling its forces on the Golan Heights in a menacing manner apparently to add weight to the psychological warfare campaign Damascus is waging against a second-stage Israeli-Egyptian agreement in Sinai. So far, the Syrians have confined their activity to the region behind the limited forces zone and are not, therefore, in direct violation of the disengagement agreements.
But Gen. Raphael Eytan, commander of the northern front, warned last night that Israeli forces must be ready for sudden overt moves by Syria. Addressing an awards ceremony for women soldiers, Eytan said that could happen “in the very near future. We must be aware that it can come upon us in a flash, quicker than we think,” he said.
Most Israeli observers believe the Syrian moves are calculated to maintain tension on the Golan Heights with periodic feints and re-enforcement of their troops. These moves are coupled with increasingly bellicose statements from Damascus aimed at discouraging Egypt from negotiating a new agreement with Israel.
A similar situation was provoked by the Syrians last October which caused a partial mobilization of the Israeli army. The Syrians backed down at that time but apparently succeeded in their aim of forcing Israel to keep large forces, including reservists, at the ready.
More threatening gestures by Syria are expected if and when Israel and Egypt begin to negotiate a second-stage agreement and when the six-month extension of the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observers Force (UNDOF) nears its expiration date.
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