News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) One week after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Syrian President Bashar Assad announced they are scheduling indirect peace talks, Syria continues to arm Hizbullah terrorists, defense officials told Army Radio Wednesday. Prime Minister Olmert previously has stated that he would not hold peace talks with Damascus until it breaks off from the Iranian-Hizbullah-Hamas axis.

However, shortly after the announcement of back-door negotiations, Assad sent his defense minister to Iran, where they signed a pact of cooperation. Prime Minister assured the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy forum Tuesday night, "I can only assure you that any future agreement, if and when it is reached, will be backed by all the necessary security guarantees, and that I will never compromise on anything which could undermine Israel's security or vital interests."