Israel’s defense chiefs discuss Syria fighting as rebel advance said to exceed expectations
Official says it’s in Jerusalem’s interest both sides fight, weaken each other, stresses Israel not getting involved; Hezbollah chief vows terror group to stand by Assad regime
Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi held an assessment on developments in Syria as jihadist rebels rapidly advanced through parts of the country, the military said Thursday.
The meeting came as the rebels led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured the key central city of Hama, a little more than a week after they launched their offensive just as a ceasefire took hold between Israel and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The military assessment was held with the IDF General Staff Forum, the military’s top brass.
“The IDF is following events and is preparing for any scenario in attack and defense,” the military said.
“The IDF will not allow a threat near the Syrian-Israeli border and will act to thwart any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel,” it added.
Amid the growing concern, two senior Israeli officials told the Axios news site that the collapse of regime defense lines happened faster than expected in the past 24 hours.
The city lies more than a third of the way from Aleppo to Damascus and its capture would open the road for a rebel advance on Homs, the main central city that functions as a crossroads connecting Syria’s most populous regions.
According to Axios, a security cabinet meeting set for later Thursday will mainly focus on the rapid advance of the rebels.
A US official who also spoke to the site said that Israel has expressed concern to Washington over both a potential radical Islamist takeover of Syria and the increased presence of Iranian forces in the country to back Assad.
Israel’s interest in the renewed fighting in Syria is “that they continue fighting one another,” an Israeli official told The Times of Israel.
“It’s entirely clear to us that one side is Salafi jihadists and the other side is Iran and Hezbollah,” the official continued. “We want them to weaken one another.”
The official stressed that Israel is not getting involved on either side. “We are prepared for any scenario, and we will act accordingly.”
Until last week, the war in Syria had been mostly dormant for years, but analysts have said the violence was bound to flare up as it was never truly resolved.
HTS is rooted in Syria’s Al-Qaeda branch.
The group has sought to moderate its image in recent years, but experts say it faces a challenge convincing Western governments it has fully renounced hardline jihadism.
Hezbollah chief vows to stand by Assad regime
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Thursday that his Iran-backed terror group would be by Damascus’s side amid the offensive.
In a televised address, Qassem denounced “terrorist groups” who want to “destroy Syria again… to bring down the regime” and “create chaos.”
“They will not be able to achieve their goals despite what they have done in past days, and we as Hezbollah will be by Syria’s side in thwarting the goals of this aggression as much as we can,” Qassem said.
He did not elaborate on what sort of support his group might provide, but Hezbollah suffered heavy losses in the war it initiated with Israel which ended with a fragile ceasefire on November 27, the day the Syrian rebels launched their offensive.
Hezbollah began its cross-border attacks in support of Hamas amid the Palestinian terror group’s war with Israel.
Qassem accused the United States and Israel of supporting “takfiri” factions, a term the Shiite Muslim group uses to refer to jihadists or supporters of radical Sunni Islam.
Hezbollah has openly backed Assad’s forces since 2013.
Hezbollah fighters helped Assad regain territory lost earlier in the civil war which broke out in 2011 after the repression of anti-government protests.
