Syria Expanding Militarily: White House Ignoring the Threat

September 20, 2002
By Salam Eid, Middle East Analyst

CBN.com – Syria has long been considered one of the top sources of terrorist activity in the world. And CBN News has obtained new evidence that shows Syria is expanding its military capabilities as well.

On two occasions, before Congress and the world, President Bush put rogue states on notice. "Any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime," Bush said in September of last year. In January of this year he said, "We must prevent the terrorist regimes who seek chemical, biologic or nuclear weapons."

But some critics wonder if the White House has made an exception for Syria.

Exclusive satellite footage obtained by CBN News shows chemical weapons facilities in Syria. One image shows a chemical weapons site that has been enlarged and improved.

Other images show bunkers and launchers for two brigades of Scud missiles. This force is designed for a massive first-strike salvo. If all the Scuds in Syria were launched, there would be enough to target each major city in Israel with up to a dozen missiles each.

Syria remains on the State Department's short list of state sponsors of terrorism. But, ironically, one of the world's biggest supporters of terror has a temporary seat on the UN Security Council, and headed up the council in June.

If it wanted to, Syria could offer the council some interesting intelligence on international security, since Damascus hosts many of the world's worst terrorist groups. Ten are Palestinian groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who are arming suicide bombers in Israel. Others are Lebanese groups like Hezbollah and Amal, who have been attacking Israel's northern border and have kidnapped or killed scores of Americans.

Despite that, Syria never made it into the President's "Axis of Evil."

Dr. Eyal Zissan of the University of Tel Aviv says Washington hopes to reform the Syrians. "The American officials that I spoke with also gave us to the hope that eventually Syria will make the choice and will support American efforts and will fight terrorism," Zissan said.

But Syria continues to work against American and Israeli interests. Syrian leader Bashar Assad claims Israel commits terrorism, while at the same time, calling the Palestinian murder of Israeli women and children a "legitimate right." The Syrian foreign minister said publicly at the United Nations that, "We support the Palestinian Intifada morally and financially."

And on Iraq, Syrian President Assad is working to sabotage U.S. efforts to build an Arab coalition against Saddam, calling instead for Arab solidarity against Washington. Assad has been touring Arab nations to boost that solidarity and to reject what he calls American blackmail and threats against Baghdad.

The U.S. Congress considers Syria to be a serious problem, but the Bush administration wants Congress to lay off efforts to intervene. Congress is considering a bill that would place sanctions on Syria for sponsoring terrorism, and also for occupying Lebanon and persecuting Christians in that tiny Middle Eastern country.

The bill's sponsor, House Majority Leader Dick Armey, says Syria must foster security instead of terrorism.

"The U.S. National Commission on Terrorism reported last year that the Syrian government ‘still provides terrorists with safe haven, allows them to operate over a dozen terrorist training camps in the Syrian-controlled Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, and permits the Iranian government to re-supply these camps,’" Armey said.

The Bush administration opposes the congressional bill because it says Syria has provided critical intelligence on Al Qaeda.

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