Syrian 3rd Army moves south from Iraq border to face Lebanon and Israel

According to debkafile‘s military sources, the removal of Syrian forces is intended to punish the US twice for last Sundays’ commando raid in northern Syria which killed 8 people including Abu Ghadiyah, the Syrian controller of smuggled insurgent fighters and weapons into Iraq. First, the 8th Army’s removal opens the Iraqi border open to the free passage of al Qaeda, Fatah al-Islam and Iraqi insurgents for attacks on US forces in Iraq. Second, Syrian troops are now massed in position to bring military pressure to bear on US allies in South Lebanon and Israel.
These developments have set the stage for more US strikes on Syrian soil to hit back at the jumping-off bases used by terrorists and insurgents to attack US targets. US Homeland Security Minister Michael Chertoff said Friday: “A country should have the right to attack another if it is harboring a potential terrorist threat.”
The Syrian 3rd army, which is composed of two Border Guard brigades and two more of infantry and assault helicopters, began moving south Wednesday, Oct. 29, evacuating the 600 km stretch of Syrian-Iraqi border they manned for the past year under a US-Syrian agreement.
The US embassy in Damascus was shut Thursday over an “increased security risk” as tens of thousands mounted an anti-US protest in the town center. The embassy has warned Americans in Syria to stay on alert.