«Israel’s» Main Goal in Syria: Curbing Hezbollah, Iran Influence in Golan

Local Editor

In addition to the internal issues, the "Israeli" entity may be dragged into regional developments at any time.

The incident last Friday, in which Syria fired an anti-aircraft missile at "Israeli" warplanes after "Israeli" airstrikes in Syria, reminded the "Israeli" media about the ongoing war in that country.

That war is the main, but not the only, arena for the larger struggle among forces in the region. The two main sides are the Iranian-led axis and the Saudi-led alliance of Arab regimes. Tehran has an advantage on nearly every front. The "Israeli" entity is a secondary player. Its focus is on trying to curb Iranian influence on the front that is most important to it, the border with Syria in the Golan Heights.

The entity is particularly troubled by developments in Syria and Lebanon. As Tehran and Damascus are discussing a long-term lease of space in the Latakia port to Iran, the "Israeli" entity fears the delivery of weapons delivered to Hezbollah.

The "Israeli" entity was forced to admit its airstrikes in Syria last week. However, despite the Russian foreign ministry summoning the "Israeli" ambassador for clarifications, the entity's message was firm: it will continue its strikes out of fear from Hezbollah and to prevent it from obtaining weapons, including rockets, missiles, drones and chemical weapons.

The reserve-duty generals Amos Yadlin and Giora Eiland argued in two separate articles in the "Israeli" Yedioth Ahronoth daily this week that foiling alleged arms smuggling is secondary to the entity's main goal of thwarting Iran's and Hezbollah's presence in the Golan Heights.

Yadlin, presumably reflecting the position of the military establishment, believes "a reassessment is needed" of the benefits of the effort to keep weapons out of the hands of Hezbollah [by striking convoys and arms depots in Syria] versus the risk of escalation posed by these actions.

Yadlin said that while the entity should uproot the group's infrastructure in the Golan Heights, the most important strategic goal in the north is to prevent Iran from establishing a base in Syria, using its contacts in Moscow and in Washington.

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, speaking at the same event, focused on the northern front.

He said that in a future war with Hezbollah, the "Israeli" entity could target Lebanese state institutions, without making a distinction between the government in Beirut and Hezbollah. It looks like a planned "Israeli" trend - renewing threats to wreak widespread destruction in Lebanon in order to deter Hezbollah from operating on the border in wake of its growing successes.

israel | iran | hezbollah | syrian crisis | hizbullah

Source: Haaretz, Edited by website team