Syria, convinced the weak spot of Israel’s defense system is its vulnerability to surface-to-surface missiles, as demonstrated in the Persian Gulf War, is rapidly building up an arsenal of medium-range ballistic missiles.
The Syrians consider them to be the key to their long-sought but until now unrealistic goal of achieving strategic parity with Israel, the Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported Tuesday, in a lengthy analysis of growing Syrian military might.
Syria is already equipped with missiles capable of reaching population centers and strategic targets all over Israel.
While the Syrians acknowledge they have not achieved parity yet, they do not rule out success in the near future.
The defense hierarchy in Damascus saw that Israel was smarting from its inability during the war to defend the Jewish state against the relatively ineffective Scud missiles hurled at it by Iraq, according to Ha’aretz reporter Reuven Pedatzur.
The Syrian general staff also was impressed by the civilian population’s large-scale exodus from Tel Aviv as soon as it became a target, Pedatzur wrote.
Therefore, President Hafez Assad is using large grants extended by the Gulf states, in appreciation of Syria’s participation in the coalition against Iraq, to acquire missiles that could strike anywhere in Israel.
Syria has apparently worked out a deal to obtain M-9 ballistic missiles from China.
Airports, power stations and emergency supply warehouses in the northern part of Israel are vulnerable to Syria’s SS-21 missiles, which can strike within 1,000 feet of a target 50 to 60 miles away.
The North Korean Scud-C missiles which Syria is known to possess have a mean range of 372 miles, which puts all of Israeli territory in jeopardy.
WORRISOME CHEMICAL CAPABILITY
The Syrian military, in fact, sees ballistic missiles as the equalizer with Israel, Pedatzur wrote.
But Syria is also allocating substantial resources to build up its ground and air forces, he reported.
The Syrian army numbers more than a half-million troops in 10 divisions, including six armored divisions, and is primarily a career army. Only 190,000 soldiers are reservists.
The Syrian armored corps has 4,200 tanks, including 1,100 of superior quality. It is seeking T-72 battle tanks from the Soviet Union and surface-to-air missile batteries.
Syria’s capacity for unconventional warfare is also worrisome.
While Israeli military authorities were never certain that Iraq possessed chemical warheads for its al-Hussein missiles, they do not doubt that Syria has them.
In fact, the Syrian army has developed an impressive chemical capacity, in addition to chemical missile warheads and chemical bombs deliverable by aircraft, Pedatzur reported.
Reports that Syria has succeeded in developing biological weapons have not been confirmed.
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.
