Israeli official: We’re mulling changing tack on Ukraine war now that Russia is weakened

Israel is in “constant dialogue” with the Druze community in Syria, says a senior Israeli official, adding that “there are also things beyond the dialogue.”

In conversations with the US and other Western countries, Israel has been stressing the importance of protecting minority groups in Syria.

The new government in Damascus, says the official on condition of anonymity, is led by people who are “very extreme, who were involved in terrorism, people with a radical Islamist ideology that are trying to present themselves right now as moderates.”

The best outcome for Israel, says the official, is a Syria that becomes a federation of autonomous ethnic regions.

With Russia’s position in Syria weakened, Israel has discussed shifting its stance toward Ukraine, says the official, and has brought up the issue with one of its allies. For now, however, Israel is waiting to see what stance the incoming Trump administration will take, and what capabilities Russia will maintain in Syria.

Most of Israel’s strikes on Syria’s strategic military hardware “are behind us,” continues the official. The official adds that the strikes included chemical weapons, long-range missiles, ground-to-sea missiles and fighter jets.

Israel feels that allies in the West accept the IDF’s moves into the buffer zone between Syria and Israel, the official adds.