Israel, Syria heighten alert for possible war

Israel has visibly beefed up its military presence here in the Golan Heights while neighboring Syria reportedly has placed its army on high alert and has warned it is preparing for a possible war with the Jewish state. The Israeli Defense Forces yesterday carried out the second in a series of scheduled military exercises in the Golan. IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz earlier this week made a surprise visit to the mountainous territory, which the army here said was intended to test the operational readiness and capabilities of local divisions.