Syria rebels appear to credit Israeli strikes on Hezbollah with aiding shock advance
Opposition figures speaking to Israeli TV say they love Jewish state and want to forge friendship; report indicates Hezbollah may be sending forces to Syria as Assad looks for help
A Syrian rebel involved in a re-energized insurgency challenging regime forces reportedly told an Israeli network that the IDF’s campaign against Iran-backed forces had likely aided opposition fighters who managed to capture Aleppo and other areas in a lightning offensive last week.
Insurgents led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib on Wednesday, notching major gains and dealing a huge embarrassment to Syrian leader Bashar Assad, while increasing pressure on his allies Iran and Russia — which are preoccupied with their own conflicts.
The rebel offensive was launched just as a ceasefire went into effect between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, which had suffered serious setbacks to its manpower and arsenal in recent weeks after Jerusalem launched an intensified campaign aimed at neutralizing the threat posed by the terror group to northern Israel.
“Nobody knows if Iran and the regime would have been weakened without the recent Israeli attacks in Syria, which have allowed us to return and free the lands and the country,” a man described as an opposition activist from the Aleppo area told Israel’s Kan public broadcaster in comments aired Sunday. Israel has for a long time carried out periodic strikes against Iranian targets and weapons transfers in Syria.
Another rebel figure from the Idlib area who spoke to the network thanked Jerusalem and said the opposition was “very satisfied” with Israel’s actions against Hezbollah and other Iran-backed players. Hezbollah is avowedly committed to destroying Israel.
“They accuse us of cooperating with you because we were quite happy when you attacked Hezbollah, really happy, and we’re glad that you won,” the source said.
Both said the rebels had no issue with Israel. “We love Israel and we were never its enemies,” the man from the Idlib area said. “[Israel] isn’t hostile to those who are not hostile toward it. We don’t hate you, we love you very much.”
Kan did not provide other information on the identity of the rebels or what groups they hailed from. The new insurgency has been led by jihadist fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an offshoot of the al-Qaeda terror organization previously known as Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Nusra Front.
But the comments appeared to jibe with those of a man identified as a rebel commander who told Israel’s Channel 12 news in remarks also aired Sunday that the timing of the offensive in Syria had not been coincidental.
“We looked at the [ceasefire] agreement with Hezbollah and understood that this is the time to liberate our lands,” said the source. “This operation was critical. We will not let Hezbollah fight in our areas and we will not let the Iranians take root there.”
The rebel commander added that the goal was to topple the Assad regime and set up a government that has good relations with all its neighbors, including Israel.
“It will be a country based on equality and justice for all Syrian citizens without exception, where there will be peace and security with the entire region, including with Israel,” he tells Channel 12.
Also speaking to the channel, exiled Syrian opposition leader Fahad Al Masri egged on Israel’s military to back the opposition offensive.
“We call on the Israeli leadership to launch intensive attacks against the positions and troops of the Iran-backed militias in Syrian territory,” he said. “It will be necessary to strike sites in Homs, Damascus and on the Lebanon border. This will help rid Syria’s territory of the Lebanese presence and Hezbollah’s weapons and the octopus tentacles of Iran.”
A little help from Assad’s friends
Both Tehran and Moscow have pledged to continue supporting Assad, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterating that support Monday morning.
On Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Damascus to meet the Syrian leader, saying the Islamic Republic would “firmly support the Syrian government and army,” Iranian state media reported.
After the talks, Assad emphasized “the importance of the support of allies and friends in confronting foreign-backed terrorist attacks.”
Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, was another key element in helping Assad quash rebel advances during Syria’s long civil war, but it is unclear to what extent the organization would be able to aid the regime now as it attempts to regroup following Israel’s punishing offensive.
According to a separate Kan report Sunday, Western intelligence officials have seen evidence that Hezbollah had sent forces from Lebanon to Syria to defend the terror group’s infrastructure in northern Syria, fearing that Iranian or Hezbollah holdings could fall into rebel hands.
Despite halting most fire in Lebanon, Israel has vowed to continue striking Hezbollah if it spots attempts to resupply the group with arms, which have generally run through Syria. On Saturday, Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck infrastructure in Syria near the country’s border crossings with Lebanon which the Israel Defense Forces said were being “actively” used by Hezbollah to transfer weapons.
The Lebanese army said Monday morning that an Israeli drone struck a Lebanese military bulldozer while it was carrying out fortification work inside the Al-Abbara military base near Lebanon’s border with Syria, injuring one soldier.
Anti-government fighters drive past a tank, left behind by regime forces, on the road leading to the town of Khan Sheikhun, in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province, on December 1, 2024. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)In Syria, Assad was attempting to rush reinforcements northward, prompting battles on Sunday and Monday as government troops attempted to halt the rebels’ advance to Hama.
Syrian state media said government resupply included heavy equipment and rocket launchers while Syrian and Russian airstrikes targeted weapon depots and insurgent strongholds. Sham FM, which is closely linked to the regime, said the Syrian army shot down drones belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in northern Hama.
Speaking to The Times of Israel over the weekend, an Israel official wouldn’t say whether Israel saw the rebel success as a positive development, noting only that Israel was “paying close attention all the time to what is happening in Syria, and is ready for any scenario.”
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the US was also watching the situation carefully, noting that Washington had “real concerns about the designs and objectives of” Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
“At the same time, of course, we don’t cry over the fact that the Assad government, backed by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, are facing certain kinds of pressure,” he added.
Rebel commander Col. Hassan Abdulghani said the insurgents’ advance in the countryside around Idlib put all of the province of the same name under their control.
In Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, military vehicles abandoned by Syrian troops dotted the roads. People posed and took pictures of themselves atop one abandoned tank on a highway, while the insurgents grabbed munitions and shells from them before continuing their push deeper into Syria.
The insurgents vowed to push all the way into Damascus, but life in the Syrian capital remained normal with no signs of panic. In southeastern Aleppo, however, the main road out of the city was gridlocked as people fled the fighting, and gas stations in the area were short on fuel.
Syrian state television claimed government forces had killed nearly 1,000 insurgents over the past three days, without providing evidence or details.
Government airstrikes in Idlib and Aleppo killed at least 25 people, of whom 14 were women and children, according to the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, which operates in opposition-held areas.
Emanuel Fabian and Lazar Berman contributed to this report.
