Israel's Strike On Syrian Facilities Was a Dry Run - Philip Giraldi

Deep Background
October 8, 2007 issue of The American Conservative

Saudi Arabia and Israel, using intermediaries including Prince Bandar bin Abd’al Aziz, have reached a tacit understanding regarding Syria. The Saudis, following secret discussions with Vice President Cheney and President Bush, expect Israel to attack Syria some time in the future, probably in conjunction with a U.S. attack on Iran. The Sept. 6 attack by Israeli jets on a site inside Syria was intended to test the new Syrian anti-aircraft radar provided by the Russians, but the Syrians did not co-operate and refused to lock their system on. The Saudis agree with the U.S. objective of striking Iran to delay the development of a nuclear-weapons capability for at least ten years and support the prospect of an Israeli attack on Syria that deters Damascus’s goal of establishing Shia domination in Lebanon by arming Hezbollah with more sophisticated weapons supplied by Iran. In recent discussions in Riyadh involving Condoleezza Rice and Robert Gates, the Saudis were astonished to learn that neither American official had been briefed on the intended course of action. This is apparently a result of Vice President Cheney’s decision to cut out both the State and Defense Departments from the planning.

Philip Giraldi, a former CIA Officer, is a partner in Cannistraro Associates, an international security consultancy.