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Trump's Suggestion that Syria's President Deal with Hizbullah Raises Major Questions
(Ha'aretz) Yaniv Kubovich - Senior Israeli defense officials have voiced increasing concern that American negotiations with Iran are discussing security issues that directly affect Israel, but Israel has no real ability to insist that its security interests be upheld or to set conditions. President Trump's suggestion on Tuesday that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani) take over the job of dealing with Hizbullah in Lebanon raises major questions. A senior IDF officer said, "It's hard to understand how anyone thinks that replacing the IDF with Golani's people would make the security situation better for Israel." The officer said Israel hasn't bought the moderate image the new Syrian regime is trying to sell. "The discourse we've been seeing [shows that Syria] continues to view Israel as an enemy. There are people who continue to hold extremist ideological worldviews, and their attitude toward Israel is far from being of the type on which long-term security arrangements could be built." Moreover, the forces loyal to Al-Sharaa aren't a regular army, but a collection of armed militias with high ideological motivation. "Bringing forces like these into southern Lebanon could therefore end in revenge attacks and massacres."