IDF intelligence preps for Assad’s demise
Weakening of Syrian regime and influx of jihadists poses ‘new threat’ to Israel, Military Intelligence chief says
Ilan Ben Zion is an AFP reporter and a former news editor at The Times of Israel.
The IDF’s top intelligence officers toured the Golan Heights on Thursday in preparation for the possible disintegration of the Syrian regime and its expected ramifications.
IDF Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi and senior Military Intelligence officers discussed “how to adapt the tools, intelligence collection methods, and research of Military Intelligence to the threats in the region.”
Kochavi said that predictions the Golan would soon be a frontier with Syria’s 18-month-long civil war were quickly coming true.
“The battles between the armed opposition rebels and the Syrian army are no longer occurring only far away from the border, but are taking place a mere several kilometers away,” he said.
Last month several mortars fired from Syria landed in the Golan Heights, but caused no damage or injuries. Fighting is often visible from the Golan’s lookout posts and has bled into the demilitarized zone between the two countries several times.
“The erosion of the Syrian regime’s control and the growing penetration of global jihadist forces present a new threat, for which Military Intelligence and the IDF are preparing,” Kochavi said. “The handling of these missions is at the heart of our intelligence work, and Military Intelligence plays a central role in the IDF’s ability to prepare for the new threats — in gathering intelligence, in research, and in operational activity.”
The Times of Israel Community.