Israeli forces mock raids over Lebanon

12/29/2004 2:45:00 PM GMT

Israel air forces staged mock raids over south Lebanon Wednesday, breaking the sound barrier and causing panic, according to security sources.

Israeli warplanes flew at low altitude over villages in south Lebanon as well as inland regions where anti-aircraft guns are manned by Hezbollah resistance movement and the Lebanese army.

However, it hasn’t been confirmed yet whether the gunners opened up on the intruding planes.

Israel has violated Lebanese air space several times since it pulled out its forces from south Lebanon in 2000.

Wednesday's mock raids are the first to be staged in a long time.

Syria blames Israel for peace stalemate

In remarks published Tuesday regarding the deadlock in peace negotiations between Israel and Syria, Syrian foreign minister blamed Israel for hampering the peace process, citing Israel's rejection of President Bashar Al Assad’s recent overtures.

Addressing Syrian leaders late Monday, Farouk al-Sharaa said: "Despite our repeated calls for the resumption of negotiations, the peace road is deadlocked".

"Israel and no one else is to blame for the deadlock in the peace process."

Al-Sharaa moreover said that Israel's demand to dismantle Hezbollah and pulling out Syrian forces from Lebanon in line with a September 2 UN resolution would be one of the results of peace "rather than a premature condition for it."

"At a time when Syria is clinging fast to the requirements of a just peace and does not put forth any conditions to achieve peace, the Israeli side is putting conditions on Syria that have nothing to do with peace," Al-Sharaa said.

Al-Sharaa gave his speech at the annual meeting of leaders of the National Progressive Front, the country's highest ruling body. The group, headed by Syrian President Bashar Assad, includes the ruling Baath Party and six other political parties.

"Rabin Deposit"

Al-Sharaa affirmed that Syria still upholds the so-called "Rabin Deposit" or its position to resume peace talks from where they stopped in 2000.

President Bashar Al Assad made a similar statement earlier this month, but the UN Mideast envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, said Assad was ready to resume peace talks without any conditions.

The "Rabin Deposit" refers to a promise made by Yitzhak Rabin, the late Israeli Prime Minister, to former U.S. President Bill Clinton for full Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights in any final peace agreement with Syria.

In recent weeks, Syria reiterated that it wishes to resume peace negotations with Israel, which were stalled in 2000. But Israel rejected this peace initiative, saying that Syria must first crush Damascus-based Palestinian resistance groups, like Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

When peace talks between Syria and Israel collapsed in 2000, Syria wanted assurances that Israel would fully withdraw its forces from Golan Heights, which it captured in 1967 and later annexed.