1/ mistake in last part of article, not nuclear waeheads but chemicals as reported in the beginning 2/ Olmert thought that this attack would open war & he knew that scuds were aimed at Israel but did nothing to destroy this threat, it shows how incometent he is. Fortunatly this wasn't followed by war but it could have been & no pre emptive means decided.

Asked whether Israel intends to eliminate Hamas, Olmert replied that the government will not tolerate the continued rocket fire and would act in a manner which would cause "great pain" to Hamas. He noted that Israel may not destroy Hamas but that it could hurt it enough to force the group to consider its actions. THE ONLY CONSIDERATION THE SHIA MUSLIMS WOULD DO, IS A MORE CUNNING EVIL !. Orao.Srbia.

Retaliation from Israel, who once hit with any chemical weapon would respond with a tactical nuke and level Damascus among other cities. Israel played that right IF the story is true. Israel accomplished its goal sent a message to Syria, in essence saying they were done. Bashar was smart enough to avoid an all out war, which would have devastated his country, smart move. Unlike most of the reactionary and deviant terrorists, who crave death, we see Bashar isn't among those, at least for himself and his country. That's important info, Syria is certainly an enemy of Israel. But Bashar isn't willing to destroy his country for the cause. That's not say he wouldn't attack Israel, just not at the cost of total devastation.. Again we see it's strength that's respected in the region, remember that!!

...weapons aimed at most Western European Capitols. It's called Israel's foriegn policy:) So far it seems to be working just fine; nobody dares say 'boo!' to the Promised Land of Organised Crime.

Syria has a right for self defense, so to destroy her missiles means to start a war.

Destroy Syria's chemical weapons program and any missiles with chemical warheads may well start a war but it will be a war Israel has planned for rather than one that it was dragged into. Its also better to destroy chemical weapons just incase some nut ever decides to use them be it Assad or some government who may replace him if he falls. It ensures Syria can never fire chemical weapons at Israel which also reduces the risk of any future war with Syria turning nuclear. Syria is no threat to Israel in terms of conventional weapons they posses and the bulk of the military forces are not well trained. Its air defenses can be defeated we have already seen that when we bombed the nuclear site. Traditionally when Israel has taken pre emptive strikes it has done best and when it waited for the enemy to drag it into a fight such as 1973 & Lebanon 2006 its much more costly in terms of casualties. War is not like on the movies where the bad guys are the only ones who suffer casualties and we all come out of it as big heros that I know but sometimes its better to start a war on your own terms to avoid a war in future where the enemy is better prepared.

Read the newspapers, even today's. Iran is helping Syria put down demonstrations. Also trying to destabilize governments in the ME. Also building a nuclear bomb while threatening Israel with annihilation. This is the true "ME of Organized Crime". But why bother reading the newspapers; they would prove you wrong and you obviously know that already. You are anyting but 'astounded'.

what;s to stop them, Hezbullah and Hamas from doing it now!!!

At that time, how could Israel risk the Jewish lives by not informing Jewish people of the probability of Syria's chemical war. High alert means probability which is near to reality than possibility. If Israel's government did not knew about the chemical war heads, then it is a disaster. either ways, knowing or not knowing of chemical war, Israel was and has been fooling the Jews.

Why does Ynet waste precious electrons allowing such a lost soul to post?

arab eyes, thats YOUR Problem. Do YOU always believe evrything you read? Yella

Just what are you observing, your navel? Are yo observing how your country is devolving into chaos? How the military is playing the Egyptian people like a piano? Egypt hasn't had a credible government since the Pharroes. Since your name observer is as much a joke as your observation, you must know that Mr Assad held his fire because he knows what all Arab leaders know. If things get jiggy, there is a Samson option for the modern Arab delusion of attacking Israel and expecting to live in the 21st century. If Assad attacked Israel with chemical weapons, Syria as a civilized society would have suffered a devestation not sen since Sodom and Gomorrah. The Tarrir uprising by the way is now a co-option of the Muslim Brotherhood who is being used by the military to tamp down any real notion of democracy by the people. So sad for Egypt but, hey, who ever expected democracy for the Arab nation? : - (

Assad, his family & associated minority Alawite clan are not interested in Syria as a country to bring honor to. They are mainly concerned to keep milking the economy of the majority of Sunni Syrians through nepotism, discrimination & the violence of the police state regime. While their concern to maintain priviledged survival makes them unlikely to wish military confrontation, their only possible support can only come from rogue states or groups who represent the real danger of using Syria for their own objectives. Bashir Assad may not be a fanatic Islamist but he still is a dangerous politician for his own people & for Israel.

To #11: Egypt fooled the Egyptian Jews. We thought we were Egyptian. Then they robbed and expelled us from our country.

I know for a fact that any Nation that does such a thing will vanish in an instant. Menachen Begin - NEVER AGAIN.

A single United States submarine waits quietly in the ocean. Range 6,000 miles . - 198 nuclear warheads.

Israel would defeat Syria in 24 hours. So what's the big deal?

but still offer no proof to your libel. The EU has been at Israel's throat for decades, including the UK which has worked to destroyed the nascent State early. and yet, the only attacks EU has felt came from the Arabs. Try to wrap your little brain around that conundrum.

and they supply an illegal terrorist group with weapons which are used on israeli civilians. I'd say the point of "self defense" by Syria has long passed.

Wasn't it Nasser who said proudly that the Egyptian army was marching on Tel Aviv while instead they were getting pounded in the Sinai by Israelis heading towards Cairo?

then it would be easy to take care of Hamas, the war criminals who use human shields. Seems to be the same problem that every Western nation is facing when dealing with Arab terrorists.