News Brief

The Syrian army is Israel’s “number one” enemy and a major threat to Israel today, according to Brig. Gen. Ephraim Lapid, chief spokesman of the Israel Defense Force.

Syria, Lapid asserted in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, has one of the best equipped armies in the Mideast, with sophisticated Soviet arms as well as helicopters and missiles from France and communication systems from Italy.

According to Lapid, the Syrian army has doubled its power since 1982 and has now more than 4,500 tanks and 600 jets and about a half million troops. In addition, Lapid disclosed, Syria possesses the deadly surface-to-surface Soviet missile SS-21 and the Soviet-made surface-to-air missile SA-5.

“Both missiles have an enormous range and they pose, therefore, a real threat to Israel’s population centers in the heart of the country and to Israeli aircraft flying far away from the Syrian border, Lapid said.

THE REAL QUESTION

The IDF spokesman said, however, that “the real question is whether Syria and Jordan will form a coalition against Israel,” because “we (Israel) assume that Syria will not open a war against Israel by herself.” He noted that Jordan also has a meaningful military power, with an army well modernized with 1,000 tanks and 150 jets, all British, American and French-made.

Lapid declined to give the number of tanks or jets the IDF has, but, according to Western sources, the IDF is estimated as having 4,000 tanks and some 500 jets, mostly American-made and the Israeli-made Merkava tanks.

SUPERIORITY OF ISRAEL’S ARMY

Asked if Israel has “the best army in the Mideast,” Lapid replied, “absolutely.” He said that this was proven during the Lebanon war which Israel launched on June 5, 1982.

“The war in Lebanon did not reflect the IDF’s abilities in all areas of fighting. It did show, however, the superiority of Israel’s Air Force,” Lapid said. He noted that in air battles between Israeli and Syrian jets, Syria lost 90 planes while Israel did not lose a single plane. The air force also showed its ability in attacking Syrian missile batteries in Lebanon.

“But I do not underestimate the enemy,” Lapid continued. “The Syrian armed forces had proven itself during the war and the Syrian soldier was a much better fighter in 1982 than in the Yom Kippur War” in 1973, Lapid contended.

Lapid was in the United States for the last two weeks to meet with American news organizations and members of the media. His visit was sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith.