Disinformation nearly created clash between Israel and Syria

JERUSALEM, Dec. 4 (JTA) — Israel and Syria nearly went to war last year because of disinformation received by Israeli intelligence, according to the Israeli media. The episode, which took place late in the summer of 1996, is now being studied by a government committee. The Israeli army was preparing to redeploy its forces after unusual Syrian troop movements were reported last year in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and in the area around Mt. Hermon. At the time, Israel received information from a reliable source that the Syrians were planning a surprise attack on the Golan Heights with the goal of forcing Israel back to the negotiating table. In September 1996, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed concern about a Syrian military action during talks in Washington with President Clinton. But American officials questioned the concerns, saying their information did not indicate that Syria was preparing an attack. The officials viewed Netanyahu’s statements as an exaggeration — and perhaps an excuse to avoid resuming negotiations with Syria, which had been stalled since March 1996. At the same time, France and Egypt conveyed messages from Syria that their troop movements were defensive and in response to what was viewed as threatening declarations by Israel. In an effort to diffuse the tensions, Israel asked Egypt to convey to Syria that it was not interested in war. As a result of observations made in the field, the Israel Defense Force decided that Syria was not mounting an offensive, and the IDF refrained from massing troops on the border. The Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported that it was recently discovered that some of the disinformation received by Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai had been deliberately passed on. It was unclear who was the source of the information. Foreign Minister David Levy confirmed this week that an examination was underway, but he downplayed the disinformation’s impact on policy-making.