Syria rising: Buried threats on Israel’s edge

In this episode of ‘Through the Land,’ retired IDF colonel and security analyst Miri Eisin weighs Syria’s shifting regimes, border minefields and the uncertain role of a new ruler

For decades, Israel’s northern frontier has been defined by minefields and mistrust. In the latest episode of “Through the Land,” Col. (res.) Miri Eisin — a former IDF intelligence officer and widely regarded expert on regional security — guides us across the Golan Heights to ask what the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the rise of a new Syrian regime could mean for Israel.

Standing above fortified ditches and fields still littered with explosives from wars past, Eisin explains how geography cements risk even as regimes collapse. Since Assad’s ouster in December 2024, attention has turned to Ahmed al-Sharaa, the jihadist commander turned political player now trying to cement control in Damascus. Could he lead Syria away from generations of hostility, or toward a new confrontation?

Eisin, who has advised prime ministers and briefed global leaders, offers her seasoned perspective: “There’s a possibility that this new regime will not be an enemy of Israel. That doesn’t make it a friend. But it won’t be an enemy.”

In a region where a misstep can redraw the map overnight, Eisin’s walk on the border is both a history lesson and a glimpse into Israel’s uncertain future.

Read here about the drone-filmed web series “Through the Land,” created in cooperation with The Times of Israel.