Patterico's Pontifications

9/15/2007

Syria and the Junior Axis of Evil

Filed under: General,International — DRJ @ 8:02 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

If this report is true, there was much more to the last week’s incursion by Israeli jets into Syria than testing Syria’s air defense systems:

“It was just after midnight when the 69th Squadron of Israeli F15Is crossed the Syrian coast-line. On the ground, Syria’s formidable air defences went dead. An audacious raid on a Syrian target 50 miles from the Iraqi border was under way.

At a rendezvous point on the ground, a Shaldag air force commando team was waiting to direct their laser beams at the target for the approaching jets. The team had arrived a day earlier, taking up position near a large underground depot. Soon the bunkers were in flames.

Ten days after the jets reached home, their mission was the focus of intense speculation this weekend amid claims that Israel believed it had destroyed a cache of nuclear materials from North Korea.
***
An expert on the Middle East, who has spoken to Israeli participants in the raid, told yesterday’s Washington Post that the timing of the raid on September 6 appeared to be linked to the arrival three days earlier of a ship carrying North Korean material labelled as cement but suspected of concealing nuclear equipment.”

I’m reassured if Israel isn’t waiting when it believes nuclear weapons are involved:

“I’ve been worried for some time about North Korea and Iran outsourcing their nuclear programmes,” Bolton said last week. Syria, he added, was a member of a “junior axis of evil”, with a well-established ambition to develop weapons of mass destruction. The links between Syria and North Korea date back to the rule of Kim Il-sung and President Hafez al-Assad in the last century. In recent months, their sons have quietly ordered an increase in military and technical cooperation.
***
By its actions, Israel showed it is not interested in waiting for diplomacy to work where nuclear weapons are at stake. As a bonus, the Israelis proved they could penetrate the Syrian air defence system, which is stronger than the one protecting Iranian nuclear sites.

This weekend President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran sent Ali Akbar Mehrabian, his nephew, to Syria to assess the damage. The new “axis of evil” may have lost one of its spokes.”

— DRJ

28 Responses to “Syria and the Junior Axis of Evil”

  1. It’s also a test run for bombing Iran. Whether they do so or not, they put pressure on Iran, which your post strongly implies.

    Christoph (92b8f7)

  2. Remember the runup to the Iraq war?

    Some think the opponents of the Korean Nuke Deal have been fulminating a similar strategy in order to derail it. Highly dangerous and irresponsible manipulations, whatever their source, need to see the light of day. Hope the Press doesn’t drop the ball, again.

    Semanticleo (4741c2)

  3. “In other words, the Bush administration’s diplomatic policy will deliver the worst of all possible outcomes: a nuclear-armed North Korea sustained by Western economic aid. And the BBC calls that “realism.”

    http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.26421,filter.all/pub_detail.asp

    “Finally, we need to learn the details of North Korean nuclear cooperation with other countries. We know that both Iran and Syria have long cooperated with North Korea on ballistic missile programs, and the prospect of cooperation on nuclear matters is not far-fetched. Whether and to what extent Iran, Syria or others might be “safe havens” for North Korea’s nuclear weapons development, or may have already participated with or benefited from it, must be made clear.”

    http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.26726,filter.all/pub_detail.asp

    And this is where we must insist that whatever is left of the Bush administration draw its own line. Not if–but when–North Korea balks at real substance, we should insist not only on full compliance with existing Security Council sanctions, but the repudiation of the February 13 deal. Only then can we concentrate on the true solution: the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula, and the consequent end of the North. This alone will make Northeast Asia the “more congenial spot” we all say we want.

    http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.26441,filter.all/pub_detail.asp

    Hey, they might be right, but do you think their history of accuracy requires any factchecking?

    Semanticleo (4741c2)

  4. Amazing isn’t it? Iran is developing nuclear weapons, North Korea is sharing what remains of its program with Syria and other terrorist nations and Semanticleo is worried about what?

    The Administration’s policies.

    Not one word of criticism directed at Iran. Not one word of criticism directed at North Korean. Not one word of criticism directed at Syria.

    Nope.

    And lefties wonder why sane Americans don’t trust them with national security.

    SMG

    SteveMG (a1f977)

  5. “North Korea is sharing what remains of its program with Syria”

    Are you in possession of any facts?

    I and others would be glad to hear them.

    Semanticleo (4741c2)

  6. […] let excellent news like these just pass us by. But apply the 48-hour rule to it, just in case (via LC & IB Patterico): IT was just after midnight when the 69th Squadron of Israeli F15Is crossed the Syrian […]

    Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler » Blog Archive » Mazel Tov! (f6e59f)

  7. I and others would be glad to hear them.

    Like I said, not one word of criticism from you over the actions of Iran, North Korea and Syria.

    And you post at a lot of different blogs/sites. Same silence at those places, too.

    Nada. Zip. Zilch.

    Now, you’ve got lots of criticism about the “neocons” (even though you like most lefties haven’t a clue as to what they are).

    SMG

    SteveMG (a1f977)

  8. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

    That’s what I thought.

    Semanticleo (4741c2)

  9. Are you in possession of any facts?

    A report (below), admittedly, and not a fact. But as we know, much of the information re the transfer of nuclear technology is based on such reports.

    Times of London

    Okay, so I allowed you to change the topic.

    Back to my question please.

    SMG

    SteveMG (a1f977)

  10. This highlights why I think Syria and Iran should have been well ahead of Iraq on the Administration ‘to do’ list: two countries whose sponsorship of terrorist organizations dwarfed Saddam’s efforts in that direction (why do you think so many of them based themselves in Syria to begin with?) and were often the subject of public boasting–and which had known WMD programs which were known to be at least as advanced as what we were told Saddam’s efforts were.

    Instead, now, we have at least one hand tied behind our back in dealing with the problem represented by this country.

    kishnevi (032131)

  11. “we have at least one hand tied behind our back in dealing with the problem represented by this country.”

    Exactamundo.

    Semanticleo (4741c2)

  12. Further, that’s why Bush and the wrong-headed AEI are the least credible purveyors of critical information (e.g.; only NIXON could have gone to China)

    It’s the ‘Boy Who Cried Wolf’ syndrome.

    Semanticleo (4741c2)

  13. Bush and the wrong-headed AEI are the least credible purveyors of critical information

    Because these are the only sources that are disseminating information about the military relationship between/among North Korea and Syria and Iran.

    If Bush says it, it must be wrong. If Bush is for it, I must oppose it.

    For after all, the real danger to the world is Bush.

    Not Iran. Not radical Muslims.

    Bush.

    It’s going to be quite a shock to some folks when Bush is gone.

    But the threats still exist.

    SMG

    SteveMG (a1f977)

  14. The Times of London is owned by Rupert Murdoch, SMG.

    Same guy who owns Fox News.

    alphie (99bc18)

  15. Maybe parts of those missing Iraqi WMD programs are there in Syria as well. All those sightings of fully loaded Russians trucks crossing the border to Syria just prior to our invasion were never debunked, were they?

    Now lefties on this thread are bitching that we should have focused on Iran instead of Iraq? I thought the left was touting how much help Iran was to us in Afghanistan and how there was absolutely no evidence of their intereference in Iraq (they’ve been quiet on this claim recently). Was Iran also in blatant violation of a cease fire agreement with a coalition of nations for twelve years before military action was taken? Which side of their mouths have the lefties deigned to talk today?

    daleyrocks (abf635)

  16. Andrew Semmel, a senior US State Department official, said Syria MIGHT HAVE OBTAINED nuclear equipment from “secret suppliers”, and added that there were a “number of foreign technicians” in the country.

    Asked if they could be North Korean, he replied: “There are North Korean people there. There’s no question about that.” He said a network run by AQ Khan, the disgraced creator of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, COULD BE involved.”

    Consider the source(s)

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296939,00.html

    Semanticleo (4741c2)

  17. The Times of London is owned by Rupert Murdoch, SMG.

    This is not the only source making the claim or intimating that it was nuclear materials.

    As I acknowledged, this is a report. Not a fact.

    But lots of circumstantial evidence (the silence from Syria? No protest to the UN Security Council?) that this was more than just Israel hitting some conventional weapons caches.

    The reaction (or lack of one) from all quarters is interesting, is it not?

    The dog that didn’t bark.

    SMG

    SteveMG (bdf900)

  18. It’s a little early for a reaction from other countries, Steve.

    Seems like a rather stale propaganda effort to me.

    Can’t believe Olmert is stil running Israel.

    alphie (99bc18)

  19. SMG is right here are the dogs that did not bark:

    1. The Left, Dems, Europe, various NGOs and so on and ESPECIALLY the press have been completely silent on Irsael’s raid.

    So silent. Why?

    They are all AFRAID of what might be revealed. Proof their God of PC-Multiculturalism being dead. Ala NK-Syrian connections on something [could be nukes, could be missiles, could something else.]

    Dems in particular have bet it all on “negotiations” with all carrot no sticks. Disaster if it’s shown up to be a hollow fantasy by say, NK missile tech with Iranian co-involvement in Syria.

    2. Syria has been silent, not taking the issue to the UN, or calling for help from fellow Arab states.

    [They are afraid clearly of too much attention.]

    3. NOTHING on the Arab street. No Israeli flags burned, no demands for jihad, no raging “Rage Boys” screaming for the cameras.

    [Arabs and their governments fear Syria-Iran and the Iranian Shia menace more than Israel which fundamentally is NOT a threat to them. Israel has less than six million people, most of them middle class people who’d rather be on the beach than in uniform. Iran has more than 70 million and has ambitions to rule the ME.]

    4. No Syrian propaganda efforts of pictures of the site, with toys or kids shoes placed artfully at the site.

    [Again they do not WANT scrutiny of what was at the site that was hit. They are afraid of secrets spilling out — nukes of course that could hit Israel can also hit Amman or Cairo or Riyadh.]

    5. State and CIA have shut their leaks, and they leak like sieves … so something is up.

    [Both are invested in “negotiations” and anything that threatens this must be supressed. Careers and such are on the line.]

    6. Israel has said very little. Same for Turkey. You’d expect the Islamist Turkish government to be on the warpath against it’s military, but nada.

    [Suggesting overriding national interests are stake.]

    [Not unrelated, FRANCE is saying the EU must “prepare for war” with Iran if negotiations fail to stop it’s nuke program. Why FRANCE taking this position? Clearly Iran must have threatened them as the Muslims protectors in France, intolerable with with nukes of course.]

    7. Bush has said NOTHING about Iran or the Syrian-North Korean nuke connection, the raid, or anything else.

    [Clearly his Admin wants no part of the problem, preferring to kick the can down the road to the next President.]

    Jim Rockford (e09923)

  20. It’s a little early for a reaction from other countries, Steve.

    I advocated nothing.

    Question: Syria is always quick to go to the UN when Israel spits on them. Why the silence over this?

    Perhaps an investigation might uncover things they don’t want?

    What other reason?

    Arf.

    SMG

    SteveMG (bdf900)

  21. Haha,

    It’s hard to prove a negative, Steve.

    “Prove” Iraq wasn’t just about the oil.

    Assad is gonna be around long after Bush and Olmert have left office to hit the neocon welfare line.

    He and the other neocon bogeymen are just playing a waiting game at this point, I think.

    alphie (99bc18)

  22. Why would it be surprising that the Leftist would want to blame Bush for “allowing” North Korea, Iran, and Syria to go nuclear? After all, it is easier to do that than to actually address when this started. Iran did not just suddenly decide to do this, it has been going on since before Bush was in office. Same with North Korea, and hell, Albright was over there playing Dancing with the Krazy and passing out MJ autogrpahs rather than worrying about the nukes. Now, they are all atwitter at the mere thought that these people may help out Syria. Only in the minds of the perpetually dense, and consistently wrong.

    JD (f6a000)

  23. daleyrocks (#15),

    There you go again, using facts and logic.

    I thought Nancy Pelosi had solved all of our problems with Syria.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  24. I didn’t think you guys wanted to discuss the AEI Jungle Drums. It’s inconvenient to have the past dredged up, especially nowadays.

    Semanticleo (4741c2)

  25. The Times of London is owned by Rupert Murdoch, SMG.

    Same guy who owns Fox News.

    That’s known as a Genetic Fallacy, alphie.

    The truth of the report is independent of its source.

    Steverino (5f7efc)

  26. Miss KKKleo – How difficult is it to get by on a day-to-dy basis, with a Zionist Cabal conspiracy lurking around every corner?

    How is that PRE traumatic stress disorder going?

    JD (f6a000)

  27. If we listen to idiots like Semanticleo and Alphie, we could soon see nerve gas warheads landing in our lap thanks to Syria and Iran.

    Robin Roberts (6c18fd)

  28. What actually occured seems to involve neither bombs nor North Koreans:
    http://www.israellycool.com/2007/09/06/latest-developments/

    I think that if nuclear facilities or North Korea were involved, the Israeli military would be much less tightlipped.

    kishnevi (f63234)


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