WhatsappAs of this morning, the Syrian Rebels made up of Turkish backed Jihadists like Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and other dissidents, as well as the Free Syrian Army have taken down the Assad regime once and for all. Despite the sweeping jubilation in the Free Syria movement, the Sunni Islamists have already begun planning how to implement Sharia law, which puts the Christians and Druze minorities in danger.
In response to the upheaval, Israel has wasted no time in bolstering its defenses in the Golan. The IDF Chief of Staff, General Herzi Halevi, said the following while touring the Syrian border: “We are very closely following what is happening. The main emphasis is to see the Iranian exit [from Syria]… and the second thing is to see the local elements taking over the area, what they are doing, how they behave, how they are deterred, and [making sure they] don’t get confused and turn in our direction.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said made it clear that Israel was not intervening in the Syrian civil war, but that the Jewish State was concerned about violations of a 1974 disengagement agreement between the countries.
Despite the warnings, the rebels wasted no time attacking UN troops in the DMZ that separates the Israeli Golan Heights from Syria’s Al-Qunaitra province. In response, Israel has now poured troops into the DMZ in hopes that it deters further attacks from the Jihadist groups that have now taken over Syria.
The DMZ has never been breached by Israel since going into effect in 1974. With the Assad regime now in tatters, those agreements are essentially voided. The IDF gave the following update: “The IDF has deployed troops in the buffer zone and in a number of areas that are necessary to defend, in order to ensure the security of the communities in the Golan Heights and the citizens of Israel.”
The Saudi Al Hadath outlet reported that the IDF has taken over the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on the Golan Heights. This is one of the key areas for the IDF to hold on to, which is essentially the Hermon’s highest summit. It provides maximum protection to Israel’s communities in the Golan and the Galil and gives the IDF a lookout over both Lebanon and Syria’s capital of Damascus.
The Druze and Christians Are Celebrating, Can Israel Protect Them?
Videos have surfaced in the Druze and Christian dominated province of As Suwayda over the downfall of the Assad regime. Druze armed militias have reportedly taken control. However, the main rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) is not only Salafists and will more than likely push these minorities out. They are aligned with Erdogan’s drive to recreate a Turkish dominated caliphate who will not tolerate the Christians or Druze in southern Syria.
While no overt statements have been made, the IDF has now begun targeted strikes in the Da’ara province which borders close to Israel and the As Suwayda province. The targets appear to be stockpiles of regime weapons and airbases. It is too early to tell if Israel is doing this to facilitate an expeditionary force to widen the buffer zone between Israel and the Turkish backed Jihadists. Alternatively, is Israel planning on facilitating a Druze and Christian autonomous zone in Syria’s south?
Much of what Israel decides to do in the coming days and weeks, depends on the type of government set up in Damascus, as well as the Druze and Christians in southern Syria reaching out to Jerusalem for help. Regardless of the future leadership in Syria, Israel should view Assad’s fall as a necessary opportunity to reestablish what was known as the Bashan Salient established as a result of Israel’s counter attack during the 1973 Yom Kippur war. That area was given over to Syria as part of the 1974 disengagement agreement with the Assad regime.
This section of territory extends to just south of Damascus and would create the type of buffer zone to Israel’s northeast necessary for the longterm safety of Israel’s citizens. It will also block the north-south approach to the Druze territory in southern Syria.
Israel has not telegraphed its next move, but the IDF moving the vaunted 98th division made up of the best commando soldiers in the IDF to the Golan is a key indicator that the borders of the Middle East are about to change forever.
