With Baghdad still in flames and gun battles continuing, the Bush administration is turning its sights on Syria. President Bush yesterday warned Syria not to harbor Iraqi leaders, and he accused Syria of possessing chemical weapons. His comments came after Donald Rumsfeld said the majority of foreign fighters in Iraq are from Syria, brought in by busloads. And General Colin Powell told the BBC that Syria had acted as a conduit for supplies to Saddam’s regime, and said the U.S. has for years designated Syria as a state that sponsors terrorism. The BBC is reporting a top Iraqi Republican Guard general who switched sides during the war is backing Washington’s claims. General Ali al-Jajawi said top figures of Saddam Hussein’s government fled to Syria last week. Meanwhile, the Pentagon claims U.S. forces stopped a busload near the Syrian border over the weekend. The bus was carrying some 60 men with over a half a million dollars in cash and a letter offering a reward for killing U.S. soldiers.

Meanwhile, Bush administration sources have told the London Observer the U.S. has pledged to tackle the Syrian-backed Hezbollah group in the next phase of its so-called war on terror. Hezbollah is a Shia Muslim organization based in Lebanon whose fighters have attacked northern Israeli settlements and harassed occupying Israeli troops, forcing Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon three years ago. The Observer reports Washington has promised Israel it’ll cut off Syria’s support for Hezbollah in an attempt to persuade Israel to support a new settlement with the Palestinians. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz is regarded as the real architect of the invasion of Iraq. He said last week, “There will have to be change in Syria, plainly.” Two of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s senior aides will travel to Washington this week. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports the aides will suggest the U.S. “take care” of Iran and Syria. They will point out that both countries support Hezbollah.

The Boston Globe reports the emerging strategy called preemptive deterrence got a boost on Friday when members of Congress aligned with Bush administration neoconservatives proposed legislation authorizing the White House to impose stiff penalties, including diplomatic sanctions, on Syria if it does not take immediate action to end its support for Hezbollah and its development of weapons of mass destruction. The White House blocked similar legislation last year out of concern it would divert attention from Iraq. But last week, as Baghdad fell, administration officials gave lawmakers the green light to move ahead.