Israel, Syria border tensions mount
THE SITUATION on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, and on its eastern border with Syria, has become increasingly fraught, following Russia’s military intervention in Syria – and a number of recent incidents that analysts predict could spark a wider conflagration and possibly another war.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israel would continue carrying out airstrikes on arms convoys travelling from Syria attempting to reach resistance group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Netanyahu made it clear Israel would not allow Russian ally Iran a military presence in Syria, or a strengthening of its proxies, including Hezbollah, as the Syrian civil war appears to be winding down with President Bashar al-Assad retaining his grip on power, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
Netanyahu’s comments followed the Russian foreign ministry summoning the Israeli envoy to Russia for explanations regarding an escalation in Syria subsequent to an Israeli air attack on targets in Syria last Friday.
Israel has carried out similar attacks in Syria over the past few years, fearing that surface-to-air missiles, and other sophisticated weaponry, reaching Hezbollah could change the balance of power by threatening Israeli jets, which fly into Lebanese air space periodically, and in any future war.
In previous Israeli attacks, no retaliation followed with the Syrians mired down in the country’s civil war.
However, this time the Syrian military shot outdated, Russian-made SA-5 surface-to-air missiles at the Israeli fighter jets, but missed their targets.
The responding salvo was intercepted north of Jerusalem by Israel’s air defence system with the launch of an anti-ballistic Arrow missile.
In addition to Syria’s retaliation, emboldened by Russian military support, another significant change in the status quo was the Israelis admitting to carrying out the initial attack on the weapons convoy – a change in strategy from previous attacks that they have refused to admit to or deny – and once again carrying out the attacks in Syrian airspace.
When a significant Russian military presence first began operating in Syria in 2015, the Israelis scaled back their attacks from directly over Syrian territory to launching assaults from Israeli or Lebanese airspace to avoid direct confrontations with Russian aircraft operating against Syrian rebels.
In another development, an Israeli drone killed Yasser Assayed, a senior military official affiliated with Damascus, on Sunday after it slammed into the car he was driving in the Syrian Golan Heights – further exacerbating tensions. – ANA