debkafile Exclusive: Damascus has deferred its war plans from late summer to November

This piece of intelligence was behind the Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert’s comment Tuesday, July 31: “I think this summer and fall will be less hot than we expected.” He was addressing a ceremony ending a course at the National Security College in Jerusalem on expectations from the Syrian front and in the Lebanese Hizballah. It was attended also by defense minister Ehud Barak, Chief of staff Lt. Gen Gaby Ashkenazi and graduates.
debkafile‘s military sources report that the latest intelligence update on Syria’s intentions reached Jerusalem via Washington in the last few days. It indicated that Syria’s political and military leaders had rescheduled the start of hostilities against Israel on the Golan for the second two weeks of November, 2007, postponing their original planning by more than two months.
According to those sources, Syria plans to kick off its offensive with a series of terrorist raids by commando units on civilian villages, military bases and highways, as well as cross-border fire on IDF vehicles and positions guarding the border.
At that stage, the Syrian command will be testing Israel’s military responses before mapping out its next moves accordingly.
Monday, Syria’s deputy foreign minister said that his country has no plans to go to war against Israel. debkafile‘s Middle East sources note that the foreign ministry in Damascus has evidently not been briefed on the plans hatched by President Bashar Assad and his inner clique including his brother-in-law, chief of military intelligence Gen. Assaf Shawqat.