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Assad Heating Up Israel's Golan Border

(Ynet News) Ron Ben-Yishai - For the first time in over 30 years, Syria's president has officially authorized military action against Israel in the Golan. Syria's Assad has chosen the Golan as an arena in which he can clash with Israel, but in a way that will not require Israel to threaten his regime's survival. In early May, heavy machine gun fire from a Syrian position in the border region was directed at an IDF vehicle in Israeli territory. Israel's response was purposely disproportional: a missile destroyed the machine gun position, killing three Syrian soldiers. On May 15, Sunni Palestinian groups that remained loyal to Assad launched rockets at an IDF position on Mount Hermon. According to Israel's cabinet-approved policy, Israel will respond quickly and fiercely to any attack in the Golan or along the Lebanese border. IDF Golan Division commander Arik Chen said a large part of the Sunni rebels active in the Syrian Golan operate in small enclaves of forestry terrain and villages near the Israeli border, specifically because they know that the Syrian army is unable to operate tanks and light artillery in the area. A month ago, after rebels took control of the Syrian side of the Quneitra crossing - the sole crossing connecting Israel to Syria - the Syrian army, which still holds the majority of the territory in the Golan, coordinated its movements with Israel through the UN. Israel agreed to the movement of Syrian tanks to retake the crossing, since it has no interest in allowing rebels, in this case Sunni radicals, to become its neighbors on the border.
2013-07-09 00:00:00
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