Two political commentators who spoke with Arutz-7\'s Shai Ben-Tekoa today agreed that although the radar station destroyed today was an important target, the main message was in the very attack itself. \"The fact that it is only 35 kilometers from Damascus and very deep inside Lebanese territory,\" said Middle Eastern affairs expert Dr. Yossi Olmert, \"is a clear signal that Israel will not sit back without exacting a price from the aggressors.\" Yediot Acharonot\'s Ron Ben-Yeshai said, \"It\'s a pretty important target, although not the ultimate one. It was a very [high-altitude] radar station that is basically the gatekeeper of Damascus on the southwest. The attack was a signal to Syria: \'Just as we can hit this serious target that you need, if you keep on allowing Hizbullah to attack us, we can do more.\"\"
Neither Olmert nor Ben-Yeshai expects Syria to retaliate seriously against Israel. \"We have not yet seen Bashar Assad in action,\" said Ben-Yeshai, \"and it\'s pretty hard to tell how Syria will react. My guess is that he will not escalate.\" Olmert said, \"I don\'t think the Syrians want a war with Israel…\" Speaking later with Arutz-7\'s Haggai Segal, he added, \"I think Bashar was surprised by our response, but I don\'t think that there will be a major change in his policy. I don\'t think he will respond, but I do think he will allow Hizbullah to respond… This attack was a welcome change in Sharon\'s policy, but we will have to wait and see if it is a long-range change. If Israel continues to systematically hit Syrian targets, I am almost sure that Syria will restrain Hizbullah, as it did in the past.\"
Before last night\'s attack, Prof. Mordechai Nissan told Ben-Tekoa, \"One has the sense that Sharon is somewhat intimidated from touching Lebanon, as a result of the Sabra and Shatila story - the criticism against him on this matter was very unfair, by the way, but that\'s another topic - but I think that in the end, he\'ll have no choice but to face it. One can only hope that he will do what he was unable or unwilling to do there in 1982, and that is to end the Syrian presence in Lebanon. The Syrians in Lebanon mean a non-free Lebanon, an Islamicized and Iranianized Lebanon, with Hizbullah in the south and its katyushas aimed at Haifa - all this is based on Syria\'s hold in Lebanon, and ultimately we will have to contend with that.\" Nissan noted that an anti-Syria demonstration was held in Lebanon last week, with some 20,000 people in attendance.
Neither Olmert nor Ben-Yeshai expects Syria to retaliate seriously against Israel. \"We have not yet seen Bashar Assad in action,\" said Ben-Yeshai, \"and it\'s pretty hard to tell how Syria will react. My guess is that he will not escalate.\" Olmert said, \"I don\'t think the Syrians want a war with Israel…\" Speaking later with Arutz-7\'s Haggai Segal, he added, \"I think Bashar was surprised by our response, but I don\'t think that there will be a major change in his policy. I don\'t think he will respond, but I do think he will allow Hizbullah to respond… This attack was a welcome change in Sharon\'s policy, but we will have to wait and see if it is a long-range change. If Israel continues to systematically hit Syrian targets, I am almost sure that Syria will restrain Hizbullah, as it did in the past.\"
Before last night\'s attack, Prof. Mordechai Nissan told Ben-Tekoa, \"One has the sense that Sharon is somewhat intimidated from touching Lebanon, as a result of the Sabra and Shatila story - the criticism against him on this matter was very unfair, by the way, but that\'s another topic - but I think that in the end, he\'ll have no choice but to face it. One can only hope that he will do what he was unable or unwilling to do there in 1982, and that is to end the Syrian presence in Lebanon. The Syrians in Lebanon mean a non-free Lebanon, an Islamicized and Iranianized Lebanon, with Hizbullah in the south and its katyushas aimed at Haifa - all this is based on Syria\'s hold in Lebanon, and ultimately we will have to contend with that.\" Nissan noted that an anti-Syria demonstration was held in Lebanon last week, with some 20,000 people in attendance.