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Rebels find joint Russian-Syrian spy site near Golan Heights
FSA fighters post images of a Russian map, showing location of IDF units, at facility close to Israeli border
Lazar Berman is a former breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
Rebel fighters from the Free Syrian Army apparently captured a secret joint Russian-Syrian spy station only kilometers from the Israeli side of the Golan Heights over the weekend.
According to footage of the installation uploaded to YouTube by the FSA, and a report in The Daily Beast, an insignia from Russian radio electronic intelligence agency Osnaz GRU and a Syrian intelligence unit were found at the site on Al-Harah, a hill near the Syrian-Israeli border in the area of Alonei Habashan.
In a video from inside the site, photographs can be seen of senior Russian officers visiting the installation, as well as visitor logs. A wall map in Russian in one of the rooms showed northern Israel, complete with IDF military units and signals stations in the region.
Analysts believe the station was meant to allow the Bashar Assad regime to track rebel groups operating in southern Syria. It’s not clear if it was also used to spy on Israel.
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US defense officials who spoke with The Daily Beast said that the presence of Russian posters and insignia does not necessarily mean Russia’s military was running the site, and could instead indicate the presence of Russian advisers.
FSA’s spokesman said that around 15 Russian soldiers were evacuated from the site by the Syrian government two weeks ago.
“If what they’ve recovered is true and I have no reason to believe it’s not, it really is very indicative of the significant involvement of Russia in this conflict,” US Senator John McCain told The Daily Beast. “It shows significant coordination, establishment of a facility they could use for coordination and intelligence capabilities including intercepts. It’s a pretty sophisticated operation there that they’ve uncovered.”
Moscow and Damascus maintain close ties. Russia has sold the Assad regime billions of dollars worth of weapons, and sends military advisers to Syria. It also maintains a navy base in the Syrian port city of Tartus.
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