Ehud Olmert said he sees no chance of war between Israel and Syria in the coming months.
“I believe we can look forward to a calm summer, a calm fall and a calm winter,” the prime minister told senior Cabinet colleagues Wednesday, according to political sources. “Israel has no intention of attacking Syria, and neither does Syria intend to attack Israel.”
The comments, which were widely carried in media reports, appeared to be an attempt by Olmert to calm concern that a year after the Lebanon war, there could be another conflict on Israel’s northern front.
Israel has reported a buildup of Syrian troops near the Golan Heights in recent months, but military assessments are that this is a precautionary, defensive measure rather than a preparation for attack.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
