Experts believe Syria is preparing for war. The Syrian government has taken multiple actions that indicate war may be imminent, while occasionally stating it is seeking peace.

First, Syria has removed the military checkpoints on its side of the Golan Heights, which have been present since the Six Day War in 1967.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Syrian officials have alternated between saying they seek nothing but peace and threatening to seize the Golan by mukawama, a term that can refer to actions ranging from terrorist attacks to full-scale war.

Dennis Ross, who served as Special Middle East Coordinator under President Clinton, believes Syria and Israel could go to war this summer and warned that “Syria has rearmed Hezbollah to the teeth.”

Second, Syria has warned its citizens to leave Lebanon by July 15 in case of an unexpected “eruption.” Former idf Intelligence Directorate senior officer Yaakov Amidror says the conflict would principally remain internal to Shiites and Sunnis, but that Israel could be targeted by rocket fire as well.

Syria has also been preparing its military hardware with support from Iran. The Daily Telegraph reported on June 25 that Tehran is establishing a missile defense shield for Syria and planning to ship “dozens of medium-range Shahab-3 and Russian-made Scud-C missiles, together with Scud-B missiles.” Damascus is also expecting fighter jets from Russia. Last summer, Hezbollah caused major havoc with far less sophisticated weaponry than the Syrians have prepared.

In addition to conventional weaponry, Syria may have large quantities of Sarin and mustard gas. Also, multiple sources report that Damascus is planning to arm scud missiles with the nerve agent VX—a chemical agent classified as a weapon of mass destruction.

Meanwhile, though Israel Defense Forces have been carrying out exercises in the Golan Heights, Israel has decided to cut almost a half billion shekels from its defense budget. A senior idf officer said anti-missile defense for tanks will probably be the first target for cutbacks (Jerusalem Post, July 8).

The Israelis are leaving themselves in a dangerously precarious position. The likely outcome is that Israel will again give up land for the illusion of peace. Even if Syria does not attack, Israel may allow Damascus to have the Golan Heights for more empty promises. For more information on the continual failure of the land-for-peace principle, please read “Middle East Peace Process: R.I.P. 1978-2006.”