I usually would not post from this excellent source of information because it's readership is subscription ($) based.  I will today by exception.
It's from Stratfor.com, a private intelligence agency.


Analysis

Unusual activity has been reported on the Syrian side of Israel's northern frontier along the Golan Heights, including helicopter activity and the movement of tanks and troops. Syria massing troops along its southern border is nothing out of the ordinary, particularly since Israel launched a major airstrike on its territory Sept. 6. But the Israelis appear to be a lot more concerned than usual about Syrian intentions as of late.

When Israel scrambled its warplanes Sept. 27 for the third time in the past two weeks, Stratfor saw a pressing need to investigate why the Israelis are so spooked about a Syrian reprisal for the Sept. 6 Israeli airstrike, and why Israel has gone out of its way to reassure the Syrians that it is not looking for a fight.

Israel's apparent skittishness could be caused by concerns circulating in the region that Syria might launch a surprise offensive to recapture the Golan Heights. A split has surfaced within the Syrian regime, where some are arguing that an offensive in the Golan Heights would be in Damascus' best interest and would galvanize Arab support and bring Syria out of regional isolation.

Such logic fails to acknowledge that Syria's Arab neighbors would be highly unlikely to endorse the regime following such an offensive. The muted Arab response to the Sept. 6 Israeli airstrike over Syria is a case in point. While the Syrian foreign minister was running around calling on EU, U.N. and Arab League members to condemn the Israeli violation, the Arab states barely blinked. Even Hezbollah, which enjoys a great deal more credibility than Syria in the Arab world, got limited political capital out of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict and was even criticized by surrounding Arab governments for initiating the conflict.

More important, the Syrian military is no match for Israel Defense Forces in terms of readiness, training and equipment; Damascus would be nearly guaranteed a humiliating defeat should it choose to engage the Israelis militarily. This is something Israel knows well. Why, then, has Israel scrambled its fighter jets in response to routine helicopter movements, birds on the radar and the loss of a Syrian plane on the radar screen? This is not typical behaviour for the Israelis.

There could be more to the Sept. 6 attack than initially thought. The secrecy and mystery surrounding the incident suggests that the target of the air strike was of critical importance to the Israelis. There is a possibility that the Israelis failed to take out that target and are now concerned that Syria will carry out a non conventional attack against the Jєωιѕн state. As earlier discussed, this would be political ѕυιcιdє for the Syrian regime, but Israeli behaviour since Sept. 6 has been far from normal.

Whether the Syrians are engaging in some heavy military posturing, planning an offensive on the Golan Heights or whether they have something much bigger in mind, the Israelis are giving every indication that they are preparing for the worst-case scenario.