JERUSALEM — The Israeli cabinet yesterday authorized mobilization of several thousand army reservists to prepare for a possible Syrian reaction to an American attack on Syria expected within the next few days.
An Israeli army spokesman said only 1,000 will actually be mobilized at this stage, those with key tasks in the Air Force, Home Front Command, and military intelligence.
Despite the mobilization announcement, senior military and political figures continued to urge the Israeli public to carry on life as normal since the chances of a Syrian attack were "very low."
Long lines formed in front of gas mask distribution depots in cities. Only 60 percent of the Israeli public has gas masks at present and the percentage is unlikely to increase significantly before the current crisis peaks.
The cabinet also authorized the deployment of a second Iron Dome anti-rocket battery to the north. The system has proved highly successful in intercepting rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. The army has also stepped up the alert level of its Arrow missile interception system and Patriot system.
Meanwhile, rhetoric mounted on both sides as tensions increase. A leading military figure in Iran was quoted on Israel television as saying "the Zionists will burn" if America attacks Syria. An unnamed senior Syrian army officer told the Iranian news agency Fars, "If Syria is attacked, Israel will be set on fire." Other Syrian officials have spoken of thousands of missiles aimed at Israel.
Officials in Jerusalem likewise warned enemies that any attack on Israel would meet a fierce response. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that Israel "is prepared for every scenario" and would respond forcefully to any provocation. Netanyahu chaired a five-hour consultation with his security chiefs yesterday—the third in three days—on the Syria crisis.
Military analyst Alex Fishman said that if the American-led attack is confined to several dozen missiles fired at military targets, the Syrian government may swallow it without a significant reaction. "However, if it is decided to fire hundreds of missiles and Syria’s strategic assets are significantly harmed, the Syrian need for an act of revenge will heighten," he wrote in Yediot Achronot.
The German news magazine Focus reported early this week that the Israeli army’s Unit 8200, its central signal intelligence unit, had intercepted communications in Damascus last week clearly implicating the Assad regime in the firing of chemical shells that killed hundreds of Syrian civilians.
Attributing the information to former Mossad officials, the magazine said the intercept was shared with the Americans. It is not known whether this alleged intercept was a significant factor in Washington’s determination that the Syrian regime was responsible for gassing of civilians.