Are prepared for all scenarios in Syria

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Israel: Are prepared for all scenarios in Syria

The fighting in Syria between rebels and government troops is also being followed with concern in Israel. According to the media, people there are already preparing for the collapse of the Syrian army.

According to media reports, Israel is preparing for a possible collapse of the Syrian army in view of the surprisingly rapid offensive by the rebels in neighboring Syria. The Israeli military said they are monitoring developments and are “prepared for all scenarios, both offensive and defensive.” During the night, the Israeli Air Force bombed weapons smuggling routes near the Syrian border crossings with Lebanon, it was said. The pro-Iranian Hezbollah transported weapons to Lebanon via these routes with the help of Syria.

The military will eliminate any threat to the State of Israel that violates the recent ceasefire agreement in the war against the Lebanese Hezbollah, the Israeli army said. With regard to the rebels’ rapid advance in Syria, two Israeli intelligence officials previously told the US news site Axios that the collapse of the Syrian army’s defense lines in the past 24 hours had occurred more quickly than expected. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz discussed developments in Syria with representatives of the military leadership.

An alliance of actually rival rebels had surprisingly quickly taken over large areas in the northwest of the neighboring country and, after fighting for Aleppo and Hama, is now advancing towards Homs. A decisive battle could take place there with potentially serious consequences for President Bashar al-Assad. Israel has expressed concern to Washington about both a possible takeover of power in Syria by radical Islamists and a possible increased presence of Iranian forces supporting Assad, Axios quoted a US official as saying.

The Islamist group Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which dominates the northwest and is leading the offensive, is planning to overthrow Assad. According to analysts at the Institute for National Security (INSS) think tank in Tel Aviv, this would be a blow to Israel’s arch-enemy Iran and its accomplices such as the Lebanese Hezbollah. On the other hand, the possibility that jihadist groups could take control of large parts of Syria is a threat to Israel. It is in Israel’s interest for the jihadists to fight Iran’s forces and Hezbollah, an Israeli official told the Times of Israel. They want “they to weaken each other,” he said.

The Israeli military will “not tolerate any threats on the Lebanese-Syrian border,” the army said. They will “defend any threat to the State of Israel.” Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for humanitarian access to all civilians in need in civil war-torn Syria and an end to the violence. Guterres said in New York that he spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the phone. After 14 years of war, it is “time for serious dialogue.” Tens of thousands of civilians are threatened in a region “that is already burning,” said the UN Secretary General.

Turkey denies having anything to do with the rebel offensive in Syria. However, observers assume that Ankara at least approved the move – and will ultimately benefit from it. Erdogan wants at least some of the refugees in his country to return to Syria and to weaken the influence of Kurdish militias. The conflict in Syria began in 2011 with protests against Assad’s government. Security forces responded with violence. Everything resulted in a civil war with international participation, in which Russia, Iran, Turkey and the USA pursued their own interests.

Meanwhile, efforts to reach a ceasefire and release hostages in the war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip continue. “Intense negotiations are underway that could impact the entire region,” Israeli President Izchak Herzog said at a meeting with Muslim religious leaders and influential imams from Arab communities in Israel, according to a spokesman.

According to media reports, Egypt has submitted a modified proposal for an agreement to Hamas. Along with Qatar and the USA, Egypt had been involved in the negotiations as a mediator in recent months, as Israel and Hamas do not negotiate directly with each other. Hamas has not yet announced whether it is willing to discuss the proposal, the Times of Israel reported. If it wants, Israel will send a delegation to Cairo to negotiate, an official was quoted as saying.