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Iran, Hizbullah, and Unidentified Insurgency All Operate in Syria near Israel's Border

(Jerusalem Post) Jonathan Spyer - The Syrian regime is currently seeking to consolidate its presence in Deraa and Quneitra provinces in Syria's southwest, opposite Israel. Assad's army completed its reconquest of these areas in 2018. The current situation on the ground is characterized by extensive Iranian and Hizbullah activity. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported this week that Iran-backed militia commanders have begun to offer financial incentives to the mukhtars of villages in the Syrian part of the Golan, in return for their cooperation in recruiting village youth to the militias. At the same time, there has been ongoing, armed resistance to the government and the tempo of attacks on regime positions and facilities is increasing. Since June 2019, according to the Observatory, more than 300 attacks have taken place on regime and allied forces in the Deraa area. These have included shootings, and detonations of IEDs and mines. 192 people have been killed in these attacks, including 36 civilians and 100 members of the regime forces and its loyalists. Yet the perpetrators remain shrouded in mystery. The writer is director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis.
2020-02-21 00:00:00
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