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Current Intelligence Weekly Summary
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THIS MATERIAL CONTAINS INFORMATIONTHE NATIONAL DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MBANING OF THE ESPIONAGE LAWS,SC., THEOR REVELATION. OF WHICH IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW.
The Current Intelligence Weekly Summary has been prepared primarily for the internalol the Central Intelligence Agency. It does notomplete coverage or all current situations. Comments^and conclusions represent the immediate appraisal of the Ofnee. of Current Intelligence.
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
MIDDLE EAST HIGHLIGHTS
The power struggle among Syrian military factions, which erupted this week into open rebellion,hasarily abatedompromise negotiated at Horns. Nasir, who initially appealed to Syrians to avoid civil war and offered his services as mediator between pro- and anti-Nasir factions, now charges Damascus with violating the Horns accord by trying to put "reactionary" officers
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Syria
The power struggle among Syrian military elements, which erupted this week into open rebellion and near civil war, has abated temporarilya compromise negotiated at Horns and reluctantly accepted by leaders of the pro-Nasir forces in Aleppo, Onpril, Damascus radio announced that order had been restored and that the army
HIGHLIGHTS
units and officers in Aleppo returned to their barracks. in Damascus remainabout internal security in Aleppo and other northern cities, however, and areapprehensive that pro-Nasir or Communistwill instigate new riots and clashes. The Syrianitsolf is still tense, as officers and politiciansfor control of the.
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rebellion was touched off by the Syrian military command's displacement of the Qudsl-Dawalibi government and its seizure of direct power onarch. This action brought the command under immediate pressure both from aofficers' faction which supported tbe Qudsi regime andaction of radical, pro-Naulr officers. Unitsby officers aligned with each of these groups werein fighting in the city of Home onarch against tank forces sent by the military command from the Damascus area to put down disturbances there.
Riots and demonstrations against the military command also took place in Aleppo, Haitian, and Latakia. In Aleppo these were followedave of violent clashes and shootings, and by early morningpril pro-Nasir forces were inof key points in the city, Including the radio station. Tbey proclaimed open rebellion against the military command in Damascus, appealed for the support of other Syrianunits, and demandedreunification of Syria and Egypt.
The following day, however, the situation in Aleppo changed sbarply. Damascus threatened air and ground attack unless tho Aleppo rebels agreed tothe provisions of theaccord worked out at Horns. The extremist commander of tho Aleppo groupore moderate Cairo radiotatement by President Nasir appealing to Syrians to avoid civil war and making it clear that Egyptian forces would not be sent unless other outside lorcos intervened. esult
of these shifts, an uneasy truce was arranged, and tbe rebels ceased their broadcasts.
The Boras agreement provideseturn toransitional period and for much closershort ofSyria and Egypt. It also specifies an almost complete change in the structure and personnel of tho military command. Seven members ol tbewho played some of the key roles in the army's assumption of power onarch and who apparently resisted the ideaajor rapprochement withalready been sent out of the country.
Radio Cairo has already charged, however, that this part of the Horns agreement is being violated and that otherofficers who should have been exiled are maneuvering in Damascus to gain control. Thus It appears that the new
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willocal point for renewed rivalries and the contest to control it may be settled only after aof military strife. Radio Damascuspril begancounterattacks, accusing Cairo of "cheap fabrications" and "intrigues against the Syrian people."
The Soviet Government is probably pleased with the course of events in Syria. Moscow commented favorably on thearch assumption of power by the military command; thechanges in the command to give more representation to young, radical officersif implemented asregarded by Moscowurther fortuitous shift. The sharp new cleavage between the pro-Nasir and the various anti-Nasir elements in Syria and the likelihoodonsiderable period of intense political strife will probably provide unusual opportunities for the Communist party to increase its influence. The USSR has remained noncommittal while reportingof Syrian groups forwith Egypt andstill regards the break-up of the UAR as favorable to longer range Soviet interests.
It is do'ubtful that recent events in Syria and the changes in the rulingimilitary junta there will have much moderating effect on Israeli-Syrian border tensions. During the the command in Damascus sought to rally the Syrian Army and the public ;by invoking the threat from Israel, claiming the Israelis were "massing troops on the borderew aggression." Thereossibility of some Syrian-initiated action alongurther effort by the reorganized junta to unify the country. In such an event the Israelis probably wouldeven more vigorously thanarch. The Israelis claim the Syrians directed heavy machine gun fire on an "Israeli" area in thezone on the nightpril. The fire apparently was not returned.
The UN Security Council continued to meet this week to discuss the respective,of Syria and Israel against each other. Anyby the Council whichIsrael for retaliation while tending to depreciate the importance of Syrianwould be unlikely to deter the Israelis from takingreprisals againstalong the border. Israel, moreover, has warned thatesolution would only em-bolden theH
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