What Does Syria’s Victory Mean for «Israel»?

Local Editor

The capture of areas in the Daraa province and the Jordan border crossing south of it serve as an important psychological victory for the Syrians and Russians. It's important because it is a serious blow to the morale of the Sunni militants, who are withdrawing on almost all fronts anyway, and Daraa is a symbol for them. This is where they started seven years ago. That is why the fall of the province will chip away at the militants’ motivation to keep fighting.

There are only two provinces left in Syria under militant occupation—the Idlib province in the north and the area east of the Euphrates River that the Syrian Kurds control with heavy American assistance.

Thanks to the supply and reinforcements from Arab nations — among them Saudi Arabia and the Gulf nations — through Jordan, the Daraa province lasted a long time. Jordan also allowed the Americans and the British to support the Syrian militants with advisors and aid from its territory. Now, all of that is over.

The Syrian army, which was advancing on two axes, took over the border crossing with Jordan, closing the door on a land aid route important to the militants in the south and southwest of Syria. The militants in Quneitra have now been cut off from their main supply artery from Jordan, and the Syrian Golan Heights are almost certainly going to fall like a ripe fruit into the hands of the Syrian government.

The “Israeli” entity will continue providing humanitarian aid as long as it can to militants and refugees in the Golan border area, but nothing more. The closing of the supply chain and Jordanian reinforcements essentially doomed the rebels in the Syrian Golan, and they too will soon have to sign a surrender mediated by the Russians.

From the entity’s point of view, the new situation created in southern Syria holds several consequences.

According to the “Israelis”, small forces of Hezbollah took part in conquering of Daraa and the villages surrounding it; implying limited presence of the Resistance group near the border with the entity.

Another point worth mentioning is that the Daraa area was the center of operations in south Syria of organizations affiliated with al-Qaeda. The conquering of Daraa eliminates the base of operations for organizations affiliated with global terrorism, which almost took over the Quneitra border crossing. Jabhat Fateh al-Sham may still have presence in the Syrian Golan, but it is now isolated and likely facing surrender.

There is also a pocket of ISIS in the southern Golan Heights, at the “Israeli” entity-Jordan-Syria border area, but it too is now isolated and cut off from reinforcements, and so its fall is only a matter of time.

The “Israelis” fear the deployment Syrian army in the demilitarized zone on the Syrian side of the Golan border. If the Syrian forces do this under the auspices of the Russians, a new situation would be created in which the “Israeli” Occupations Forces [IOF] would find itself in direct conflict with Syrian forces stationed only one kilometer, or less, away from “Israeli” communities.

In such a situation, the entity would have to keep large forces in the Golan Heights on a permanent basis to prevent the possible infiltration of an Iranian or Hezbollah resistance force into the entity under the auspices of the Syrian army forces.

Moreover, “Israel” fears the fighting will spill over into territory it had annexed, dragging it into situations that have the potential to escalate into a conflict, a military campaign or a serious war it has no interest in.

The fall of Daraa was the beginning of the end and the “Israeli” entity must prepare for the day after.

Source: Ynet, edited by website team