While the topic of this blog "SpecOps" is a shortened version of "Special Operations," it is pronounced by most people in the miltary business as "Speck Ops," due to the notion these actions are hard to track and target. Earlier last week the Israeli action on Syria typified that idea completely.
During the first week of September (dates are hard to pinpoint due to the nature of this situation), Israeli warplanes (around 5 or 6 American made f-16s and f-15s) flew across not only the Syrian border but more or less the entire country in a daring assault on what had been described as "Syrian weapons caches" near the Turkish/Syrian border. While brazen, this action did not illicit much response by the media or by Israel's usually hostile neighbors. As time went on, the reason for this eerie silence became more evident.
By early September, reports had surfaced that a North Korean vessel had docked in the Syrian port of Tartus to deliver a highly classified cargo of cement, thats right, cement. Less than 2 weeks later, air strikes by the Israeli military had been made inside Syrian territory, saying only that "unconventional weapons systems" had been targeted. Both sides kept silent on the matter. Syria because it was incredibly embarrassed (more on that later), and Israel because it is sending signals to Iran. North Korea however, voiced vociferous condemnation, calling it "unprovoked Israeli aggression," making it the only other country on the planet to say so, while traditional hardline enemies of Israel such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and even Iran were quiet.
The message being conveyed by these signals is encouraging and troubling, depending on who you ask. Troubling for Syria, North Korea, and Iran, the veritable "new" Axis of Evil. Syria, because its air defenses, supplied by Russia, proved impotent to a complex Israeli air strike, in which IAF commandos had been previously inserted on the ground behind enemy lines to paint the intensely guarded assets of the Syrian government, only to escape undetected. North Korea, because they have never produced a weapons system they didn't sell to the highest (and in this case, probably the lowest) bidder, are on the eve of them finally reaching a possible peace treaty with the U.S. after next weeks summit with South Korea, and that treaty could now be in serious jeopardy. Iran, because Israel has shown it has the capability to sneak deep inside a hostile country and eliminate possible classified weapons storage facilities.
However, this can also be seen as troubling for us in the West as well. First of all, a Far East nation such as North Korea selling "cement" to a Middle Eastern country should be construed as insulting to our collective intelligence. Thats like an arms dealer saying he's going to sell shit to a plumber, the Middle East is the birthplace of concrete and cement and doesn't need to buy it from a poor communist dictatorship 10,000 miles away, so something definitely stinks.
This is encouraging for the Western allied nations and Israel. As mentioned ealier, Israel has shown it still has it, pulling off an operation with flawless marks, a sign to its own people who desperately need it after last years stalemate with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. It is also encouraging because Israel's neighbors clammed up about the development. By keeping quiet, surrounding Arab states are showing tacit approval of Israels action because they know the severity of North Korea shipping nuclear weapons tech to Syria. If it was some random conventional strike, surrounding Arab countries would be up in arms as they were during 2006.
Hopefully, and I say this with the most profound sincerity, the situation won't escalate any further. If the Middle East was a powder keg before, its a plastic explosives plant now, and the last thing needed are North Korean made triggers implanted in the equation. Again, there are reasons to be encouraged (peace treaty talks with South Korea in October), and reasons to be troubled (a nation linked to Hezbollah and Iran tinkering with nuclear weapons). Lets continue to hope for the best.
During the first week of September (dates are hard to pinpoint due to the nature of this situation), Israeli warplanes (around 5 or 6 American made f-16s and f-15s) flew across not only the Syrian border but more or less the entire country in a daring assault on what had been described as "Syrian weapons caches" near the Turkish/Syrian border. While brazen, this action did not illicit much response by the media or by Israel's usually hostile neighbors. As time went on, the reason for this eerie silence became more evident.
By early September, reports had surfaced that a North Korean vessel had docked in the Syrian port of Tartus to deliver a highly classified cargo of cement, thats right, cement. Less than 2 weeks later, air strikes by the Israeli military had been made inside Syrian territory, saying only that "unconventional weapons systems" had been targeted. Both sides kept silent on the matter. Syria because it was incredibly embarrassed (more on that later), and Israel because it is sending signals to Iran. North Korea however, voiced vociferous condemnation, calling it "unprovoked Israeli aggression," making it the only other country on the planet to say so, while traditional hardline enemies of Israel such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and even Iran were quiet.
The message being conveyed by these signals is encouraging and troubling, depending on who you ask. Troubling for Syria, North Korea, and Iran, the veritable "new" Axis of Evil. Syria, because its air defenses, supplied by Russia, proved impotent to a complex Israeli air strike, in which IAF commandos had been previously inserted on the ground behind enemy lines to paint the intensely guarded assets of the Syrian government, only to escape undetected. North Korea, because they have never produced a weapons system they didn't sell to the highest (and in this case, probably the lowest) bidder, are on the eve of them finally reaching a possible peace treaty with the U.S. after next weeks summit with South Korea, and that treaty could now be in serious jeopardy. Iran, because Israel has shown it has the capability to sneak deep inside a hostile country and eliminate possible classified weapons storage facilities.
However, this can also be seen as troubling for us in the West as well. First of all, a Far East nation such as North Korea selling "cement" to a Middle Eastern country should be construed as insulting to our collective intelligence. Thats like an arms dealer saying he's going to sell shit to a plumber, the Middle East is the birthplace of concrete and cement and doesn't need to buy it from a poor communist dictatorship 10,000 miles away, so something definitely stinks.
This is encouraging for the Western allied nations and Israel. As mentioned ealier, Israel has shown it still has it, pulling off an operation with flawless marks, a sign to its own people who desperately need it after last years stalemate with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. It is also encouraging because Israel's neighbors clammed up about the development. By keeping quiet, surrounding Arab states are showing tacit approval of Israels action because they know the severity of North Korea shipping nuclear weapons tech to Syria. If it was some random conventional strike, surrounding Arab countries would be up in arms as they were during 2006.
Hopefully, and I say this with the most profound sincerity, the situation won't escalate any further. If the Middle East was a powder keg before, its a plastic explosives plant now, and the last thing needed are North Korean made triggers implanted in the equation. Again, there are reasons to be encouraged (peace treaty talks with South Korea in October), and reasons to be troubled (a nation linked to Hezbollah and Iran tinkering with nuclear weapons). Lets continue to hope for the best.
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