Why is Israel attacking Syria? | Features

After the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, Israel encroached on its neighbor’s lands.

Since Assad’s dramatic flight to Russia on Sunday, Israel has attacked Syria more than 400 times and, despite UN protests, launched a military incursion into the buffer zone that has separated the two countries since 1974.

These attacks came as the country attempts to transition from 53 years of dynastic rule.

In the past few months, Israel has attacked its neighbor Lebanon and continues to launch attacks Condemning the war as genocide On the besieged residents of Gaza.

But why is Israel attacking Syria now? Here’s everything you need to know.

Why is Israel attacking Syria?

Israel has justified its attacks on Syria for years by claiming that it is eliminating Iranian military targets. But Iran said None of its forces are currently in Syria.

Now, Israel says it is focusing on destroying Syria’s military infrastructure.

Israel claims it is trying to prevent weapons from getting into the hands of “extremists,” a definition it has applied to a rotating list of actors, most recently Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the main Syrian opposition group that has led the war. Operation to topple Assad.

What did he hit?

Israel says it targeted military facilities, including weapons and ammunition depots, airports, naval bases and research centers.

Israel also deployed military units in the buffer zone along the Golan Heights that separates Syria and Israel. The terrain has been officially designated as a demilitarized zone as part of a 1974 UN-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Israel occupies about two-thirds of the Golan Heights, and the UN-administered buffer zone extends over a narrow area of ​​400 square kilometers (154 square miles). The rest is controlled by Syria.

Syrian security forces also reported that Israeli tanks were advancing from the Golan Heights to Qatana, 10 kilometers (six miles) inside Syrian territory and close to the capital.

Israeli military sources denied any such incursion.

In addition to more than 100 raids on the capital, Israel carried out attacks in Al-Mayadeen in the east, Tartous and Masyaf in the northwest of the country, and at the Qusayr crossing with Lebanon, and the Khalkhala military airport in the south.

What is Israel’s justification for this latest attack on a sovereign state?

They act in defense of it.

Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Monday that the former Syrian territory along the Golan Heights, which has been designated a demilitarized zone since 1974, will remain part of Israel “forever.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has defended the Israeli strikes since Sunday, saying Israel’s intention was only to target suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range missile sites – to prevent their takeover by armed groups opposed to ongoing Israeli attacks on its neighbours.

In a press conference with foreign media, Sa’ar said that Israel was acting “in a precautionary manner.”

He added: “This is why we attacked strategic weapons systems, such as remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and missiles, so that they do not fall into the hands of extremists.”

What does Israel want from Syria?

This is not clear yet.

The government did not make any statements outside the scope of “working to defend Israel” that could indicate its intention.

But some prominent Israeli figures have spoken out about their views on what should happen next.

Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party and opponent of Netanyahu. He said He told reporters on Monday that this was an “opportunity of historic proportions” for Israel. He called on decision-makers to “develop our relations with the Druze, Kurds and other groups in Syria,” noting that Israel may be able to develop relations with groups that traditionally opposed the armed opposition coalition that ousted Assad.

On the same day, The Times of Israel I interviewed a researcher and former member of the Israeli military, who took Gantz’s proposal further, suggesting that Syria could be divided into a series of cantons, with each of them free to cooperate with external actors, including Israel.

“The modern nation-state in the Middle East has failed,” said former Colonel Anan al-Wahabi, who identified himself as a member of the Druze minority.