Israel strike Syrian military facilities: ‘The IDF is making sure not to leave a vacuum’
With Assad gone and a new government not yet formed, Israel has bombed Syrian military facilities in an effort to stop weapons falling “into the hands of terrorists”.
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In brief:
- Israel is conducting extensive airstrikes in Syria, targeting military facilities and weapon warehouses in the wake of the Bashar al-Assad regime's fall, citing concerns about potential weapons falling into terrorist hands.
- The rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which pushed out Assad, is designated as a terror group, causing significant concern for Israel and other countries.
- Israel claims to be attempting to prevent potential security risks in the uncertain post-Assad era, with the intentions of the emerging Syrian leadership unknown.
What’s the story?
Israel has begun conducting extensive airstrikes in Syria, with the IDF targeting weapon warehouses, ammunition depots, naval bases and more military facilities of the Syrian army.
It’s the latest development in what has been a remarkable week in Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
While it will take time for the country to form a new government and return to some kind of normality, Israel is not taking any chances that the future Syrian government will be a friendly one.
Israel has said its actions are to prevent weapons falling “into the hands of terrorists” as Syria forms a new government in the post-Assad era.
“Israel is clearly thinking ‘we knew what Assad was about. I mean, he did use chemical weapons on his own people,’” Emily Maitlis says on the latest episode of The News Agents.
“‘We don't know what the incoming crowd are like, and we don't even know which incoming crowd is ultimately going to be in control.’”
The rebel group which pushed Assad out, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is designated as a terror group by the UK and other major world powers, although it is trying to rebrand as a peaceful group ready to lead.
Shahank Joshi, defence editor for The Economist, says Israel, like many countries, is “nervous” about them.
“These are very kaleidoscopic rebel organisations,” he tells The News Agents, noting that HTS is to some degree an “umbrella” organisation.
“It does include other factions, other groups, some of whom may be more radical...
“So from the Israeli perspective, let's not take the risk”.
What’s happening at the Syria-Israel border?
The Golan Heights is a 1,000 square mile rocky area in the southwest corner of Syria, bordering Israel, Lebanon and Jordan.
The area was captured by Israeli forces during the Six-Day War in 1967 and has been occupied by Israel since.
“It's worth stating very clearly that Israel has long been an occupation of Syrian soil. That's what the international community judges. It's viewed as Syrian land,” Joshi tells Emily and Jon.
In response to the fall of Assad’s regime, Israel has now seized the buffer zone, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying it is a “temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found".
The area is of strategic military importance, being a high point overlooking Syrian areas as far as Damascus, therefore allowing Israel to monitor Syrian movements.
“The IDF is making sure that it's not leaving a vacuum in which some of the more extremist groups might come in and take up those quite strategic positions. It's blocking those off.”
But, he adds, with Netenyahu dependent on hard-right elements of the Israeli government who are “wide eyed” about annexing as much land as they can, the seizure over this extra land in Syria has caused controversy.
“There are people very skeptical that this isn't a land grab,” he says.
Netenyahu has denied that’s what is happening.
"If we can establish neighbourly relations and peaceful relations with the new forces emerging in Syria, that's our desire.
“But if we do not, we will do whatever it takes to defend the State of Israel and the border of Israel," he said.