Israel accused Syria Friday of possessing an assortment of lethal gases along with a missile arsenal that put the existence of the Jewish state in peril and pose a grave to the security of the entire Middle East.
The charge was made by Israel's Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon in remarks given to a French magazine. "This is a disaster (to Israel) because the Syrian government is irresponsible and terrorist," Israel's top soldier was quoted as saying.
Yaalon also threatened to wage an "all-out war" against the Palestinians if armed groups resume bombing attacks against Israeli targets. He described Palestinian President Yasser Arafat as a "master terrorist who deserves death or banishment."
Nevertheless, he made it plain Israel had no plans at the moment to assassinate Arafat or deport him to another Arab country. "We're not going to make a martyr out of him."
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
