Israel Tests Syria’s Patience

Israel continues to test the patience of the new government in Syria, which is led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), by expanding its military operations in the war-torn country.

Just a few hours after the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) began operating in southern Syria, mainly in governorates of al-Qunitra, Rif Dimashq and Daraa. It also launched hundreds of strikes against bases and equipment of the now-dissolved Syrian Arab Army (SAA).

On December 16, the IDF entered the town of Ma’ariya, a few hundred meters east of the buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights. And on December 17 Israeli tanks entered the town of Saidah, also on the edge of the buffer zone.

On December 17, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Mount Hermon, a strategic height in southern Syria.

Standing atop Mount Hermon, Netanyahu, who previously said the collapse of the 1974 separation of forces agreement with Syria, announced that Israel would remain at its peak “until another arrangement can be found that guarantees Israel’s security.”

HTS head Ahmed al-Sharaa said in an interview with The Times on the same day that Israel must stop bombing Syria and withdraw from the buffer zone between the countries which Israel seized after Assad’s fall.

Still, the IDF advanced further into southern Syria on December 19. Israeli troops dismantled all Syrian military sites in the slopes of Mount Hermon and the plateaus of Quneitra and Daraa.

The IDF aso bulldozed the sites of the Haramoun sign, Tel Ain Marwan, Tel al-Hamriya, al-Tilal al-Humr, and Tel al-Kassarat in the far northern countryside of Quneitra.

In addition, the military destroyed the headquarters of the second and third battalions of the 90th Brigade, which was one of the SAA’s largest formations. Communication and jamming equipment were also taken or destroyed by Israeli troops.

On December 20, Israeli troops entered the western outskirts of the town of al-Rafid in the southern countryside of Quneitra.

This advance solidified Israel’s occupational control over more than 500 square kilometers of southern Syria.

Commenting on Israeli operations in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on December 19 that Israel was the main beneficiary of the downfall of the Assad regime in Syria and casted doubt on Israel’s plans to withdraw troops from a buffer zone once the situation stabilizes.

Despite their past rivalry with Russia, the new government in Syria does not appear to be very enthusiastic about a Russian military withdrawal from the country. HTS leadership apparently understands that such a move could encourage Israel to escalate its operations in the country. A Russian withdrawal may even encourage other foreign actors to move into the Syrian coast.

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