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CNN Sunday Morning
Crisis in the Middle East: Syria's Reaction
Aired October 05, 2003 - 07:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: We have been following the situation in the Middle East. Israel bombing an alleged terror training camp in Syria. Let's get the latest reaction from Syria's government.
CNN's senior and international correspondent Brent Sadler is in Beirut, Lebanon and has more -- Brent?
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kelli, we're really monitoring the situation of the past few hours. And we've had no really substantive statements out of the Syrian capital, Damascus.
What we can report from here is that all observers who know very much about what's been going on here over the past 30, 40, 50 years recognized that what has happened with this Israeli air strike against a suspected terror target in Syria, as close as 10 miles to Damascus, has really led to a strategic change in terms of military conflict from what we've seen over the past many decades, 20 or 30 years.
This is Israeli aircraft striking deep inside Syria. What we have seen before that, both before and after the Israeli occupation of the southern tip of Lebanon has been Israeli aircraft striking occasionally at Syrian military positions here in Lebanon.
So this is really crossed what effectively has been a red line up until now. And many observers here are saying that the Israelis would not have crossed such a red line without some sort of green light approval from the U.S. administration.
In the past, Israel has held Syria accountable for Hezbollah attacks against Israeli occupation troops before May of 2000. Israeli also holds Syria accountable for attacks by Hezbollah fighters against Israeli troops occupying land at the foot of the Golan Heights, called the Sheba (ph) Farms. And that's why you've had this Israel, Syria military conflict, but in Lebanon, not in Syria.
This is really the landmark change in what we're seeing here strategically on the ground in the past few hours. The Syrians have so far -- are not saying very much about what has happened. Some video has materialized. I understand it's being shown on Iranian television, but we believe the source of this video is from the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces. But still unclear, really, about what has happened, precisely where it's happened. It does seem to be very close to the Syrian capital, 10 miles, 15 kilometers.
But certainly a dispute by the Syrians that this was a terror training camp. The Syrians suggesting that this was a civilian camp for Palestinian refugees. Lebanese sources here say okay, perhaps a left wing hard line supporters of groups such as Hamas Islamic Jihad, but certainly not as we would understand a terror training camp to be.
So quite clearly, a stark difference in definition there from what the Israelis are saying, and what the Syrians are saying. Now so far, as I say, no detailed comment from the government of President Bashir Al-Assad in Damascus, which is just 2.5 hours from the Lebanese capital of Beirut here. But certainly wide ramifications in what's happened because Syria's ally here in Lebanon, of course, is Hezbollah. Hezbollah also supplied and supported by Iran. And Hezbollah has the means to strike northern Israel should things deteriorate further. And that really does cause the Lebanese a great deal of concern, to see if this escalated conflict could get even worse. So very many considerations being put on the table now, both here and the Lebanese capital. Surely in their Hezbollah, who have their headquarters here in Beirut, and certainly in Damascus.
And it's quite possible, according to some Lebanese sources here, that the Syrians may take an opportunity in the coming hours or days to perhaps launch some sort of counter media offensive against what the Israelis are saying the Syrians are doing.
Caught behind this, of course, just finally, Kelli, the fact that the U.S. administration, Colin Powell Secretary of State, was through here very recently. The United States administration putting more and more pressure on the Syrians to do more about terror in this region and worldwide, accusing Syria of letting infiltrators get into Iraq to attack U.S. forces in Iraq.
Also, the Syrians accused of hosting these groups, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas. And that the Syrians should do something about it, to stop that. Not happened as far as the U.S. administration is concerned. And even right now, there is a continuing effort in the U.S. Congress over the Syrian accountability act to make Syria more -- even more accountable for its actions. And if that were to take place, if that were to reach legislation, then that would be even more pressure, both at the political and economic level on the Syrian leadership.
Back to you, Kelli.
ARENA: All right, our CNN international correspondent Brent Sadler, live from Beirut. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 5, 2003 - 07:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: We have been following the situation in the Middle East. Israel bombing an alleged terror training camp in Syria. Let's get the latest reaction from Syria's government.
CNN's senior and international correspondent Brent Sadler is in Beirut, Lebanon and has more -- Brent?
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kelli, we're really monitoring the situation of the past few hours. And we've had no really substantive statements out of the Syrian capital, Damascus.
What we can report from here is that all observers who know very much about what's been going on here over the past 30, 40, 50 years recognized that what has happened with this Israeli air strike against a suspected terror target in Syria, as close as 10 miles to Damascus, has really led to a strategic change in terms of military conflict from what we've seen over the past many decades, 20 or 30 years.
This is Israeli aircraft striking deep inside Syria. What we have seen before that, both before and after the Israeli occupation of the southern tip of Lebanon has been Israeli aircraft striking occasionally at Syrian military positions here in Lebanon.
So this is really crossed what effectively has been a red line up until now. And many observers here are saying that the Israelis would not have crossed such a red line without some sort of green light approval from the U.S. administration.
In the past, Israel has held Syria accountable for Hezbollah attacks against Israeli occupation troops before May of 2000. Israeli also holds Syria accountable for attacks by Hezbollah fighters against Israeli troops occupying land at the foot of the Golan Heights, called the Sheba (ph) Farms. And that's why you've had this Israel, Syria military conflict, but in Lebanon, not in Syria.
This is really the landmark change in what we're seeing here strategically on the ground in the past few hours. The Syrians have so far -- are not saying very much about what has happened. Some video has materialized. I understand it's being shown on Iranian television, but we believe the source of this video is from the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces. But still unclear, really, about what has happened, precisely where it's happened. It does seem to be very close to the Syrian capital, 10 miles, 15 kilometers.
But certainly a dispute by the Syrians that this was a terror training camp. The Syrians suggesting that this was a civilian camp for Palestinian refugees. Lebanese sources here say okay, perhaps a left wing hard line supporters of groups such as Hamas Islamic Jihad, but certainly not as we would understand a terror training camp to be.
So quite clearly, a stark difference in definition there from what the Israelis are saying, and what the Syrians are saying. Now so far, as I say, no detailed comment from the government of President Bashir Al-Assad in Damascus, which is just 2.5 hours from the Lebanese capital of Beirut here. But certainly wide ramifications in what's happened because Syria's ally here in Lebanon, of course, is Hezbollah. Hezbollah also supplied and supported by Iran. And Hezbollah has the means to strike northern Israel should things deteriorate further. And that really does cause the Lebanese a great deal of concern, to see if this escalated conflict could get even worse. So very many considerations being put on the table now, both here and the Lebanese capital. Surely in their Hezbollah, who have their headquarters here in Beirut, and certainly in Damascus.
And it's quite possible, according to some Lebanese sources here, that the Syrians may take an opportunity in the coming hours or days to perhaps launch some sort of counter media offensive against what the Israelis are saying the Syrians are doing.
Caught behind this, of course, just finally, Kelli, the fact that the U.S. administration, Colin Powell Secretary of State, was through here very recently. The United States administration putting more and more pressure on the Syrians to do more about terror in this region and worldwide, accusing Syria of letting infiltrators get into Iraq to attack U.S. forces in Iraq.
Also, the Syrians accused of hosting these groups, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas. And that the Syrians should do something about it, to stop that. Not happened as far as the U.S. administration is concerned. And even right now, there is a continuing effort in the U.S. Congress over the Syrian accountability act to make Syria more -- even more accountable for its actions. And if that were to take place, if that were to reach legislation, then that would be even more pressure, both at the political and economic level on the Syrian leadership.
Back to you, Kelli.
ARENA: All right, our CNN international correspondent Brent Sadler, live from Beirut. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
