The former commander of the IDF’s fight against Iran says the Islamic Republic has been largely blocked from establishing a permanent military presence in Syria.
Asked if the Israeli military had succeeded in preventing Iranian entrenchment in Syria, Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon responds, “Yes, to a large extent yes.”
Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon (Israel Defense Forces/ Flash90)
Alon, who is due to retire from the military shortly after being passed over for the position of chief of staff, makes his remarks onstage at the Institute for National Security Studies conference in Tel Aviv.
Alon, who was given the task of leading the IDF’s fight against Iran in 2018, says there is a significant gap between what Iran planned to accomplish in terms of establishing a military presence in Syria and what the Islamic Republic has actually achieved.
Alon says the issue of its military presence in Syria has become a divisive issue in Iran, in light of the regular attacks by Israel.
The general says Israel should seek to “expand the cracks” in Iranian society in an effort to pressure Tehran into fully removing its forces from Syria.
— Judah Ari Gross
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