Syrian Civil Defense Services Placed on the Ready

DEBKA-Net-Weekly‘s military sources report exclusively that Thursday night, Oct. 11, Syria placed its civil defense services on a state of preparedness and mobilized their reservists.

Government and military hospitals across Syria have also been alerted.

Our military sources report that orders for these measures were first issued Tuesday, Oct. 9, and within three days were in place.

In contrast, there is no change in the deployment of Syrian forces along their border with Israel on Golan and Mt. Hermon.

Thursday, Syrian defense minister Gen. Hassan Turkmani published a message to the armed forces calling for “readiness to withstand all aggression.”

A day earlier, the Syrian chief of staff, Gen. Ali Habib, said at the officers’ passing-out parade: “Syria is capable of beating off any conspiracies” against the country.

All these measures and this rhetoric strongly indicate that the Syrian regime is convinced that either an American or Israeli assault, or attacks by both against Syria and Iran are due shortly.

Syrian president Bashar Assad articulated this fear in an interview published by the Tunisian daily Al-Shorouk Thursday.