Israel braces for attack from north

Israel deploys forces along the northern border, claiming that Syria or Hezbollah might attack the regime during Yom Kippur holidays.

The Israeli web site Debka said on Wednesday that Israel had stepped up security measures along its borders with Lebanon and Syria after Damascus" deployed its military units to the Lebanese Beqaa Valley border on Tuesday".

The deployment came amid fears that Hezbollah is planning to retaliate for the assassination of its senior commander Imad Mugniyah who was killed in a February car bomb in Damascus.

In a surprise visit to observe the disposition of Israeli forces along the Syrian and Lebanese borders, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the border seems quiet, but commanders must be on high alert "not to permit a repeat of the Yom Kippur War that took place 35 years ago".

Israel fought the Yom Kippur War against Arab nations, including Egypt and Syria, in October 1973. A report by the Agranat Commission on the war that has recently been declassified indicates major flaws in the Yom Kippur War, like those seen in Israel's 33-day war against Lebanon.