Daily Alert Archives

Israel's Policy Dilemmas on Syria

(Israel Hayom) Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror - The southern part of the Syrian Golan Heights harbors various radical groups. Israel cannot count any of them among its fans. But these groups are united by their desire to bring the Assad era to its end, and until this objective is achieved, they are unlikely to train their sights on Israel. Meanwhile, the central and northern parts of the Syrian Golan Heights harbor groups that support Assad. These groups have direct ties to Iran through its regional proxy, Hizbullah, and they are funded and armed by Tehran. Israel has no interest in making life easier for Hizbullah, Assad and their allies, even if the alternative is a potential threat by Islamic State. On the other hand, Israel stands to gain nothing by accelerating the regime's demise, or by aiding radical Sunni groups to overrun Syria. Israel must prevent Iran or Syria from providing Hizbullah with game-changing weapons or systems that could undermine Israel's strategic advantage in a future conflict. This should be done by mounting a surgical strike against any such delivery, regardless of how deep behind enemy lines it may take place, or how it may affect the interests of those supporting the regime, be they Syrian, Iranian, or Russian. The writer served as National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister, head of the National Security Council, and head of the research division of IDF Intelligence.
2015-09-03 00:00:00
Full Article