Syria is planning to attack Israel, despite the contrary statements of Israeli leaders, insisted a leading military expert on Thursday.

Ron Ben-Yishai, the senior military analyst for Israel's Yediot Ahronot daily newspaper, wrote that Wednesday's closed-door security cabinet meeting in Jerusalem showed that the government is still concerned that Syria could launch a major missile assault on the Jewish state in the near future.

According to Ben-Yishai, Syria has constructed a massive missile array aimed at Israel on the portion of the Golan Heights still controlled by Damascus.

Other analysts and not a few military officials have warned over the past year that Syria plans to launch low-level Hizballah-style violence against the Israeli Golan Heights, and respond with a major missile assault when Israel retaliates as expected.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, meanwhile, continues to maintain his line that there will be no war with Syria in the near future, despite the fact that the government is holding regular meetings to prepare for just such an eventuality.