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All indications show it is gearing up to fight another, one that may change everything, writes Galal Nassar.

The strong language the US secretary of state recently used reflects heightened tensions in the Middle East. During a dinner gala hosted by the American Jewish Committee last Thursday, Hillary Clinton warned Syria of the consequences of delivering military hardware to Hizbullah and Hamas. Clinton said that the decisions of the Syrian president "could mean war or peace for the region". Syria, she claimed, was passing on sophisticated weapons, including missiles, to pro-Iranian groups in South Lebanon and Gaza, and thus risking war.

According to Clinton, Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons is destabilising the Middle East. Meanwhile, Hizbullah's acquisition of new weapons, especially long-range missiles, would threaten Israel's security and destabilise the region. The smuggling of weapons to Lebanon was a violation of UN decisions, she said, referring to UN Resolution 1701 issued in August 2006.

Clinton's remarks came only days after Israeli President Shimon Peres accused Syria of delivering Scud missiles to Hizbullah. Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak, speaking in Washington last Thursday, said that Lebanon would be accountable for any future flare-up in the region. Addressing the American Jewish Committee, Barak said: "We make it clear once again that we see the government of Lebanon, and behind it the government of Syria, [as] responsible ... >>>