(Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University) Carmit Valensi et al. - From an Israeli perspective, the still-evolving events in Syria have both negative and positive elements. On the positive side, the Assad regime has been hit hard, and its overthrow would be a significant blow to Iran and its proxies. Iran would be compelled to withdraw its forces from Syria, while the direct route for rebuilding Hizbullah's strength, by smuggling weapons from Iran and Syria to Lebanon, would be blocked. An anti-Iranian regime in Damascus would also pose a direct threat to the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and would force Tehran to focus on its own direct security, at the expense of attacking Israel. However, more concerning is the possibility that jihadist factions could take control of massive stockpiles of weapons, including chemical weapons, thereby posing a serious threat to Israeli interests.
2024-12-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive