Israel boosts Golan troops as contingency -general

JERUSALEM, March 28 (Reuters) - Israel has reinforced its troops in the Golan Heights as a precautionary step, though neighbouring Syria does not appear to be planning an attack, Israel's top general was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Israel captured the Golan, a strategic high ground, from Syria in a 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it in a move not recognised internationally.

"There are no indications that the Syrians are initiating any military action against Israel," Lieutenant-General Gaby Ashkenazy, the Israeli army's chief of staff, told a closed-door meeting of lawmakers, an official briefing reporters later said.

But Ashkenazy said Syria has been "upgrading the arsenal" of its armed forces. "Because we don't know everything, therefore we have to be ready. We have stepped up our forces on the Golan and if necessary, we would step them up further," he said.

Israeli intelligence heads told Israel's cabinet last month there appeared to be little danger of facing a full-scale war with Syria this year despite an inconclusive war last year with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, which Syria has supported.

Still, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told ministers at that Feb. 25 session that Israel "must be ready for any situation in which there will be a strategic change."

Ashkenazy vowed he would keep the army ready for any potential conflict. He took office a month ago after his predecessor was forced to resign over public criticism the military had not been ready for the Lebanon conflict in which 1,200 Lebanese and 157 Israelis were killed.

"The next time we get into a war, we have to win it fast, where there will be no question as to who won and who lost," Ashkenazy said.

Syrian President Bashar-al Assad has recently signalled an interest in renewing peace talks with Israel, but Olmert has said Israel would not negotiate with Syria unless it shunned Palestinian militants now headquartered in Damascus.

Negotiations between Israel and Syria broke down in 2000 over the extent to which Israel would withdraw from the Golan as part of a peace deal.

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