Israeli ambassador to US warns "Syria preparing for war"

Eliyahu bin Elissar, the Israeli ambassador to the US, said on August 13 that Syria is preparing for war even as it declares it is ready for peace talks.

As previously reported by ArabicNews.com on August 4, General Shehabi made remarks warning Israel of a possible impending conflict over the occupied Golan Heights. (see references below)

He said that Syrian Lt. Gen. Hikmat Shehabi said earlier this week in his speech on the occasion of the Syrian military day that negotiations were not Syria's only option. Shehabi also said that Syria was beefing up its forces for a possible attack on the occupied Golan Heights

Elissar said that Syria was trying to build up its military by bringing weapons from Russia and Ukraine and updating its weapons. The US also provides advanced arms and weapons as modern as those Israel has to Egypt and another Arab countries.

Elissar added that if Syria wants to know what would result from a military operation, it might be more difficult than expected for Israel but "we will be ready, and we have to spend more on our defenses, and in this case we have no other choice."