Israel sees little chance of facing war in 2007

JERUSALEM, Feb 25 (Reuters) Israeli intelligence officials today said they saw little chance of Arab neighbouring countries, particularly Syria, launching a full-scale war against the Jewish state in 2007, an Israeli official said.

The official, who briefed reporters on a closed-door session of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's cabinet, said heads of military intelligence and the Mossad spy service had both given assessments.

The military intelligence head told ministers ''the chances of a full-scale war erupting at the initiative of the Syrians is low'', the official said.

The official said the Mossad head said the service believed ''there is no danger of a war'' in the coming year either with Syria or Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

Israel and Hezbollah fought an inconclusive war last year.

Both intelligence heads said they believed Syria was enhancing its armed forces, though mainly for defensive purposes, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has signalled an interest in renewing peace talks with Israel in the past few months.

Olmert has said Israel would not hold talks with Syria unless it shunned Palestinian militants with headquarters in Damascus.

Negotiations between Israel and Syria broke down in 2000 over the extent to which Israel would withdraw from the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau it captured from Syria in a 1967 Middle East war.

''We assume (the Syrians) don't want to initiate any military steps, but we must be ready for any situation in the event in which there will be a strategic change,'' Olmert was quoted as telling the cabinet.

REUTERS SBA RN0323