Shafaq News / December 12, 2024
Israel warned Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) not to harm the Druze community in Syria or approach the Israeli border, an Israeli political analyst revealed on Thursday.
Barak Ravid, a political analyst and international affairs expert at CNN, said, “Israel has close ties with Kurdish groups in northern Syria and with Druze communities in the Golan Heights and southern Syria, due to the large Druze population in Israel.”
“Israel has informed the Druze community in Israel that it will intervene if the Druze in Syria are threatened,” he added.
Moreover, Ravid pointed out that Israel sent messages to HTS via third parties, warning them to stay away from the Israeli border, emphasizing that “any attempt to approach the border will lead to action from the Israeli Defense Forces.”
“Therefore, I believe there is much more scepticism in Israel about HTS than in the Biden administration or European countries. I think Israelis will be very cautious with this group,” he continued.
Ravid also addressed recent Israeli attacks on Syria, stating, “Israel’s goal is clear: to destroy what’s left of the Syrian army… The number of airstrikes in the past few days has likely exceeded 400.”
“The Syrian air and naval forces are gone, weapon depots have been bombed, and most of the Syrian chemical weapons program has been destroyed, with the rest likely to be bombed in the coming days,” he clarified.
The political analyst believed the Israelis were trying to “capitalize on the situation” to ensure that whoever controls Syria in the coming years would need significant time to rebuild its army, thereby posing less of a threat to Israel.
Reports suggest that Israel seized the “historic” opportunity presented by the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime at the hands of opposition armed forces, to pre-empt any new arrangements in Syria. On the same day Al-Assad fled Damascus, the Israeli army took control of the Golan Heights buffer zone. Israeli tanks advanced into Syrian villages near the zone, establishing positions in key strategic areas. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes targeted Damascus, destroying aircraft shelters, heavy weapon depots, research centers, and other sensitive sites.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning to the new Syrian leadership against allowing Iran to establish a foothold or transfer weapons to Hezbollah, vowing to respond forcefully, as reported by Arab media.
“We seek to establish relations with the new regime in Syria,” Netanyahu said, adding, “We intend to prevent any threat emanating from Syria.”
However, when Syria’s Caretaker Prime Minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, was asked in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera about his stance on making peace with Israel, he declined to comment and ended the interview.
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Israel sent message to HTS in Syria, media reports
Middle East Monitor / December 14, 2024
Israeli journalist and political analyst Barak Ravid revealed that the Israeli occupation state sent a message to Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), leading to the Syrian opposition’s lightning attack against the ousted regime and its president, Bashar Al-Assad.
Ravid shared in an interview with US news network CNN that the message sent by Israel to the organisation came through three parties, carrying a warning against approaching the Israeli border.
He stressed that the Israeli occupation army will act against HTS if it approaches the border.
The Israeli journalist added that the occupying state has close relations with several groups in Syria, especially Kurdish groups in the north of the country, as well as with the Druze community in the Syrian Golan Heights: “When it comes to the Druze in Syria, Israel has informed the Druze community in Israel that it will intervene if the Druze community in Syria is threatened.”
Ravid noted that the occupying state is displaying major doubts regarding HTS and that they are much greater than those indicated by the administration of US President Joe Biden or European countries towards the group.
The journalist suggested that the occupying state currently seeks to weaken what remains of the capabilities of the Syrian army, explaining that Israel has intensified its air strikes in recent days, exceeding 400. This has led to the Syrian air and naval forces greatly disappearing, in addition to the destruction of Syrian weapons depots and the chemical weapons programme.
Ravid emphasised that the occupying state would continue to bomb the remaining facilities in the coming days, reflecting its goal of ultimately weakening the Syrian army. He remarked that Israel intends to take advantage of the current situation to ensure that any party that controls Syria in the coming years will need a long time to rebuild its army, making it less capable of posing any threat.
