For Israel’s security, defense and intelligence communities there are busy days. Major activities are taking place in a number of venues, including London, Bulgaria, Egypt, Gaza, Iran and Syria. With President Bashar al-Assad’s imminent fall expected to occur sooner rather than later, officials are monitoring that country’s extensive chemical warfare stockpile, fearing the anarchy may present an opportunity for terrorists to seek to import chemical weapons into Gaza or to shift the supplies to Hizbullah terrorists in southern Lebanon.

When the Kaddafi regime fell in Libya terrorist factions based in Gaza capitalized on the opportunity and many of the longer range rockets in Hamas hands today are the result of smuggling from Libya. By dismantling these rockets, bomb builders learned how to begin duplicating them by means of local manufacture.

Last week, Yassam commando police troops were stationed along the Syria border on the Golan Heights to prevent fleeing refugees from seeking a safe haven in Israel as the situation in that country becomes increasingly worrisome.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)