Mossad chief Meir Dagan
Photo: Haim Zach
Talks with Syria could lead to war, says Mossad chief
Meir Dagan tells government that peace signals coming from Damascus are only tactical, says failure in negotiations may lead to conflict
Resuming peace negotiations with Syria
may lead to war, Mossad chief Meir Dagan recently warned a closed government meeting.
During the meeting, Dagan said that the peace signals coming from Damascus were only tactical, adding that his remarks were not only based on estimates, but on intelligence information as well.
Dagan believes that the current diplomatic stalemate between Israel and Syria is maintaining stability.
Rice:
Yitzhak Benhorin
US secretary of state says Syria continues to be 'major funder of terrorism,' and that it represents obstacle to peace and democracy in region. Damascus' attitude suggests it's not ready to try and pursue peace, she states
Dagan said that if negotiations between Israel and Syria fell through, this could lead to war, and therefore Israel should seek to maintain the status quo.
The Mossad chief believes that the chances Syria will launch a war against Israel are slim, as the Syrians understand that they will suffer heavy damage. According to him, the current Syrian deployment is only for defense purposes.
Although the Syrian army's Scud missiles could cause heavy damage to the Israeli home front, they will not cause Israel to surrender, and the Syrians are aware of that, Dagan said.
