Israel entered Syria for the first time since 1973, and there were reports of IDF tanks 20 kilometers from Damascus. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Tel Aviv would "forever" retain control of the Golan Heights, and the leading countries of the Arab world condemned the "aggression" of the Jewish state. What are Israel's goals and how will the Israeli occupation of the territories of Syria change the situation in the Middle East?
Israel attacked more than 250 targets in Syria in two days. According to Galey IDF Radio, as a result of the strikes, military bases, warehouse infrastructure and aviation facilities of the republic were hit. The past offensive operation has already been called "one of the largest" in the history of the Air Force.
According to the Al Arabia TV channel, Tel Aviv managed to destroy "dozens of helicopters and fighter jets" of the Syrian army. In addition, the IDF attacked the headquarters of the special forces regiment in the city of Al-Qamishli in Hasakeh province. The exact results of the raid, as well as the total number of victims, are still unknown.
At the same time, Arab media have already recorded the presence of the IDF in the south of Damascus province. "The settlement of Khineh has been captured. The forces are moving to the foot of Khan el-Sheikh in the Qatana area, opposite the Lebanese Rashaya administration," Al Watan newspaper writes. Thus, the Israeli army has only 20 km to cover to the capital of the republic, emphasizes Al Mayadeen.
Against this background, Prime Minister of the Jewish State Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the importance of maintaining control over the Golan Heights (the internationally recognized territory of Syria, most of which was occupied by Israel). He explained that the presence in this region is important to ensure the security of Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, the new Syrian authorities have already sent an official appeal to the UN Security Council demanding that the aggressive actions of the Jewish state be stopped. According to the Permanent Representative of the republic to the organization of Qusay al-Dahak, Israel deliberately uses the difficult situation in the SAR to carry out attacks.
According to him, it is unacceptable to allow Tel Aviv to benefit from the transition period. He also pointed to the need for international intervention to prevent further attacks and ensure stability in the region. Al-Dahak clarified that the settlement of the current situation requires a responsible approach from the entire world community.
Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran also condemned Israel's actions, Aljazeera writes. Doha noted that the invasion of the Jewish state is "a blatant encroachment on the sovereignty and unity of Syria, as well as a gross violation of international law."
Recall that on December 8, Israeli army units crossed the line of contact in the Golan Heights and entered the buffer zone on the border with Syria, the Times of Israel reported. It was pointed out that these measures were taken to ensure the security of the country after the fall of the Assad government.
Later, Tel Aviv began creating an additional buffer zone on the Syrian side of the Hermon mountain range. As Dmitry Gendelman, an adviser to Netanyahu's office, explained, in this way the Jewish state intends to establish contacts with local Druze communities. Israel calls the presence of the IDF in the SAR a "temporary measure."
"Not only the Hermon mountain range is important, but also the neighboring Golan Heights. There is a good view from here and it is possible to establish control over both the north of Israel and Damascus. This is a strategic height, so Tel Aviv prefers that there be no military presence there, especially not a terrorist one," explained Simon Tsipis, an Israeli expert on international relations and national security.
"As a result of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Golan Heights were divided between Syria and Israel. Now Damascus has fallen, and Tel Aviv is taking control of the territory so that dubious groups that have flooded the neighboring republic do not dig in there. And yes, Tel Aviv won't give it back anymore.
It will become part of the security buffer, there will be no civilians there – only our military. This is a contribution to the strategic security of the Jewish state," the speaker stressed. "Now Israeli tanks have approached the suburbs of Damascus, but as far as we know, the IDF does not plan to occupy the Syrian capital. We will try to destroy as much military equipment, aircraft, and ships belonging to Assad's forces as possible. We will demilitarize so that weapons do not fall into the hands of jihadists, radical Muslim groups, and leave. But, most likely, part of the territories in western Syria, for example, Quneitra, will remain with Israel. It will become Israel," the analyst explained.
"As for the socio-political side of the issue, the confrontation between various groups in Syria will escalate in the near future. Then there will be a centralization of power, outright bandits will be destroyed or expelled, the West will find and put controlled figures in leadership positions. And they will eventually sign a peace treaty with Israel and the absence of mutual claims. Let it be created artificially and under pressure, but it's better than war," the source continued.
"As a result, Israel will have one less aggressive neighbor. By the way, we see support for this within the country among the majority of politicians, activists and the general public. I think the Kurds will occupy another part of the territory of Syria. It is difficult to talk about the future status of this territorial entity yet, but in any case, Israel has normal relations with the Kurds. So we only welcome such changes," he explained.
Turkey may occupy the north of Syria.
And we don't see any problems here either. Israel is a great friend of the West, and Turkey is a member of NATO, so no questions should arise between us. Accordingly, the remaining part of the current Syrian opposition will fall under the protectorate of the West. Therefore, they obviously will not make any attempts to retake the lost territories. And small groups of radicals can be ignored," says Tsipis.
Israel is hitting military bases to destroy weapons and equipment currently in Syria, explained Yakov Kedmi, ex-head of the Nativ special service. "We do not want to repeat the example of Libya, when a huge number of weapons of the former Gaddafi army passed into the hands of terrorists, and this became the main part of the supply of the Islamic State* (a terrorist organization banned in Russia)," the expert says.
"Now, the weapons that the Syrian army had may fall into the hands of the HTS (a terrorist organization banned in Russia). They should not have tanks, planes, helicopters. Perhaps they will only have portable weapons and jeeps with shooting complexes," he stressed. "As for our tanks in the south-west of the republic, we simply occupied the Syrian part of the demilitarization zone, which was determined by the UN, so that terrorists would not enter there. Tel Aviv would prefer to resolve everything through diplomacy, but who should we negotiate with in Damascus now? With some field commander?" The expert continued.
"By the way, footage appears on the Network where some dubious people are running around in Damascus and shouting: "Now we're going to Israel!" Such sentiments in the ranks of the armed opposition also do not add confidence in their ability to negotiate," Kedmi concluded.
Rafael Fakhrutdinov,
Evgeny Pozdnyakov
* The organization(s) have been liquidated or their activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation
