Syria is transferring weapons to Hezbollah that it did not dare to hand over
before, Senior IDF intelligence official tells Knesset committee Tuesday; PM
Netanyahu: Iran creating false impression, we're not seeking confrontation
with Syria
Amnon Meranda Published: 03.02.10, 17:16 / Israel News
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3856875,00.html

Syria is crossing previous red lines in supplying Hezbollah with weapons,
handing over arms that it never before dared transfer to the Lebanese terror
group, the head of the IDF's research division of Military Intelligence
says.

"Syria is handing over to Hezbollah components that it would not dare hand
over before," Yossi Baidatz told the Knesset Defense and Foreign Affairs
Committee Tuesday.

Addressing the Hezbollah threat, the senior IDF official said the group was
facing a dilemma between its Jihadist identity and commitment to Iran on the
one hand and Lebanon's domestic arena on the other hand.

"For that reason, although it has maintained the quiet and is uninterested
in a clash, it attempts to carry out a revenge attack for Mugniyah's death,
especially against Israeli targets abroad," Baidatz said. "Simultaneously,
it continues to build up its strength for a confrontation against Israel,
deploys its members broadly throughout south Lebanon but also deeper, and
accumulates advanced weapons - long-range missiles, anti-aircraft missiles,
and anti-tank missiles, with Iran's and Syria's assistance."

'Iranian regime won't collapse soon'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the issue, noting that
"there is a process of military buildup and very methodical provocation by
Iran."

"We are not seeking any kind of confrontation with Syria. The talk about us
preparing for an offensive against Syria is unfounded," the PM said. "This
false impression is being created by Iran."

Baidatz added that "Iran continues to tighten its ties with the radical
axis."

"Just look at the three-way meeting held in Syria," he said. "It included
the commander of Iran's revolutionary forces, who are responsible on behalf
of Iran for supplying weapons to all terror groups at all regions."

Also in respect to Iran, Baidatz said that hopes for an imminent collapse of
the Ayatollah regime are premature.

"The potential for something taking place within the Iranian population
exists, but there's a great distance between the riots we saw and the
regime's collapse," he said. "The Iranian regime is not about to collapse,
and those who expect that Iran will soon collapse will be gravely
disappointed."