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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
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| By Israel Insider staff September 9, 2007 |
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| Israeli troops at a base in the Golan Heights after Syria said it opened fire on IAF warplanes allegedly flying over Syrian airspace (Flash90) |
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Senior Syrian officials are still considering a response to IAF warplanes allegedly having flown over Syrian airspace on Wednesday and dropping ammunition, according to the press, but promised a response soon.
"Leaders and senior military figures were examining a series of responses. The results will not be long in coming," Syrian Vice President Farouk Shara said in an interview Saturday in the Italian daily La Repubblica, according to Haaretz. Shara added that he could not reveal more since it was a "matter of national security."
The defense establishment does not rule out a Syrian attempt to respond by missile fire. Officials also projected that Syria may respond later, possibly through terror groups identified with it.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials have adhered to a reported vow of silence regarding the incident, which Prime Minister Ehud Olmert requested. The request followed remarks by Science, Culture and Sports Minister Ghaleb Majadle, who said that Israeli planes enter Syrian airspace regularly, so this incident would not spark a war.
Afterwards, Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Tzahi Hanegbi called Majadle's comments "irresponsible," the Jerusalem Post reported.
In the only reference to the alleged incident since Wednesday, Olmert said at the start of Sunday's cabinet meeting: "I appreciate the IDF's soldiers and commanders, for their unusual bravery and incessant work. The nature of this work is such that not always can its details be disclosed to the public.
"The IDF has carried out numerous operations to hurt leaders of terror in the Gaza Strip. Whoever sponsors terrorists will be harmed; we will reach them anywhere," he continued.
Issam Dari, the editor-in-chief of the Syrian government daily, Tishrin, condemned the Arab worled for remaining mum on the matter, which he said "attests to the fact that Syria is isolated not only internationally, but also in the Arab world."
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