US media reports suggested Wednesday that Washington has warned Israel against executing military maneuvers in its northern region, for fear they would stoke conflict with Lebanon and Syria.


The American World Tribune, quoting well-placed Israeli military officials, reported that the administration of President Barack Obama had asked for a toning down of practice skirmishes in order to maintain the delicate calm currently prevailing along the Blue Line.


Israel responded by scrapping exercises aimed at preparing for future conflicts with Lebanon and Syria, the paper wrote.


“We are receiving daily phone calls from the Americans, who want to know details and schedules of exercises, what weapons will be used and in what scenarios,” the paper quoted an official as saying. “The exercises were planned on the assessment that Syria is likely to join Hizbullah in the next war. We are very much aware of Syrian preparations and coordination with Iran and Hizbullah.”


The veracity of such a report is difficult to assess, but retired Lebanese Army General and political science lecturer Elias Hanna said that US intervention in Israeli defense policy continued to be considerable.


“This is obvious. [The US and Israel] are interoperable but if Israel’s own interests are at stake they will go against the US administration,” he said.


Hanna added that US Vice-President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel this week demonstrated that Washington was seeking to dampen the possibility of conflict in the region.


“It tells us America wants to gain more time to ask and maybe even insist on Israel not provoking or creating the ambience of certain escalations with anybody,” he said.


Simon Haddad, a politics professor at the American University of Beirut said that the US wanted to be seen as reining in Israel’s military intentions.


“With regards to Lebanon and Syria, the US is interested in getting them back to meetings with Israel,” he said. “They may put pressure on Israel to calm things in the region.”

He added that Israel would be put off going on the offensive against Syria and may focus attacks instead on Lebanese targets.


“Israel will not strike against Syria, but they might do something against Lebanon. They don’t care about Lebanon, they care about Syria,” Haddad said.


Hanna argued that Israeli military maneuvers – which continue to sporadically occur close to northern neighbors – were a form of “indirect diplomacy,” aimed at accelerating US negotiations with Syria and Iran, Hizbullah’s chief backer.


“Maybe these maneuvers are not meant for Hizbullah and Iran, they are meant to push the US into doing something,” he said.


However, through periodic flexing of its military muscles, Israel was also sending a warning to the Lebanese government, according to Haddad.


“Israel is showing it will retaliate against attacks,” he said. “It’s interesting to see many [Israeli] ministers, from different parties, handing the same message to Lebanon to say that that there’s an agreement to strike back. It shows Lebanon that Israel is prepared for war.”


Wednesday saw another violation of Resolution 1701 – drafted to end Israel’s summer 2006 war against Lebanon – as Israeli warplanes conducted flyovers across large parts of southern Lebanon.


“At 12:40 pm today, Israeli warplanes overflew Jezzine village at a medium altitude, after violating Lebanese airspace off the Hasbaya, West Bekaa, and Iklim Toufah regions,” said a Lebanese Army communiqué.


Israel’s overflights have increased in intensity in recent weeks, according to the 12th report on the implementation of Resolution 1701, supervised by UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

The Daily Star