27 june 2017
The General Command of the Syrian Arab Army and Syria’s Armed Forces reported that Israel, on Saturday, attacked a Syrian military position in Quneitra province. The General Command denounced the attack as “a desperate attempt to support terrorist groups”. The General Command stated:
After army units succeeded in thwarting the wide-scale attack carried out by Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists on the surroundings of al-Baath city in Quneitra countryside, which inflicted heavy losses upon the terrorists, the Israeli enemy attacked a Syrian military position in Quneitra in a desperate attempt to support terrorist groups and raise their flagging morale.
The General Command also warned against the risks posed by such hostile acts and holds the Israeli enemy responsible for the serious repercussions if such acts reoccur under any pretext, affirming determination to crush terrorist groups which are the Israeli enemy’s proxy in the area.
Neither the Defense Ministry nor Israel’s Prime Minister differentiated between “Israel” and “Israeli-occupied Syrian territory”.On Saturday, the Israeli army targeted two Syrian tanks which allegedly had fired into Israel and heavy machine gun positions. – More precisely, Syrian tanks had fired a number of shells into areas in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan. It was this incident that “provoked” Israel’s alleged “retaliation”.
On Sunday, the Israelis targeted two artillery launchers and an ammunitions truck, in Syrian-controlled territory. after several Syrian artillery projectiles landed in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights without causing any harm or damage. A similar incident happened on Saturday. after a number of shells were fired into the Golan from Syrian-controlled positions.
On Sunday afternoon, the Israeli Ministry of Defense used its Twitter account to state: “In response to several Syrian projectiles launched towards Israel IDF targeted 2 Syrian regime artillery positions & an ammunitions truck”. Two hours prior to that, the army admitted that a number of Syrian shells had hit the Golan heights without causing damage.
Not differentiating between Israeli occupied territory and Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, earlier on Sunday, “Our policy is clear: We will not tolerate any spillover or trickle, whatsoever, neither mortars or rockets, from any front”.
The incidents occurred within the context of recent U.S. attacks against Syrian troops in the tri-border area of Iraq, Jordan and Syria – a corridor of control that fits seamlessly with Israeli controlled Syrian territories. Both U.S. and coalition as well as Israeli maneuvers in the region are apparently also aim to combat the Iran -Syria – Hezbollah axis.
Israel introduced home demolition scheme in the Israeli-occupied Syrian GolanIn September of 2016, Israeli occupation authorities in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, for the first time, demolished a home, claiming it was built without permission. The demolition and claims the house was built without permission violates Israel’s obligations under international law, according to which an occupying power must assure that administration in occupied territories adhere, to the greatest possible degree, to the law of the occupied country’s territory.
Israel has, however, enforced new Hebrew as official administrative language, denies building permits and engages in other violations of international law that aim at oppressing the Arab population and culture and Syrian administration in the occupied Golan.
Al Marsad, which is the only human rights organization that operates in the Golan, reported that hundreds of Israeli police accompanied by bulldozers demolished the home of Bassam Ibrahim in Majdal Shams, the largest town in the Israeli occupied Golan. In a statement, Al Marsad said:
“This is the first time that the Israeli authorities have demolished a home in Majdal Shams. … The destruction of this home marks the adoption of a new systematic policy of home demolitions by the Israeli authorities in the remaining Syrian villages in the Occupied Syrian Golan. The Syrian owners of dozens of other homes have been threatened with similar action. … As a result of the severe restrictions imposed by Israeli planning and construction committees, it is close to impossible for the Syrian population to obtain the necessary building permits. Therefore, the Syrian population is forced to build homes without building permits, as this is the only way to meet their housing needs given unprecedented levels of overcrowding.”
The rights organization accused Israel of preventing the Syrian population from building in their cities while encouraging and facilitating the construction and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights.
Israel occupied the Syrian Golan Heights after the June 1967 war. Israel’s continued occupation violates international law and has been opposed by several UN General Assembly resolutions. None of the UN Security Council’s five permanent members (P5), however, has taken any tangible steps that would be consistent with their mandate and obligation to end the illegal occupation.
The failure of UN Security Council and the UN system as a whole has emboldened Israel to declare that “Israel and the Golan are part and parcel”. In June 2013 an Austrian United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) officer explained that Israel was maintaining a joint intelligence and operations room with “Syrian rebels”. Warnings by Syrian UN Envoy Dr. Al-Hamwi, in July 2013, to the effect that Israel commits methodical crimes in the Golan were ignored by the UN Security Council (UNSC).
By mid-2013, reports about the Israeli involvement in the war on Syria via the Israeli occupied Syrian Golan and in the UNDOF controlled neutral zone slowly made it to some of the Western and Arab media. The administration of Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu transformed that, what could have developed into a PR nightmare, into a propaganda success when Netanyahu visited an Israeli field hospital for “Syrian opposition fighters”.
Netanyahu told Israeli TV viewers and international press that the field hospital showed the true, humanitarian face of Israel. The PM did not mention a word about Israel’s direct and indirect military support of Jabhat al-Nusra and other al-Qaeda associated brigades. (see video)
Israel opened a 12 – 16 kilometer wide corridor for Syrian Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra after Displacement of UNDOF Troops – “International Community” stands by or pays lip serviceAlso in 2013, Israeli machinations and cooperation with Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusrah, resulted in the withdrawal of UNDOF troops from a 12 – 16 kilometer wide corridor in the disengagement zone. (see map below)
After army units succeeded in thwarting the wide-scale attack carried out by Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists on the surroundings of al-Baath city in Quneitra countryside, which inflicted heavy losses upon the terrorists, the Israeli enemy attacked a Syrian military position in Quneitra in a desperate attempt to support terrorist groups and raise their flagging morale.
The General Command also warned against the risks posed by such hostile acts and holds the Israeli enemy responsible for the serious repercussions if such acts reoccur under any pretext, affirming determination to crush terrorist groups which are the Israeli enemy’s proxy in the area.
Neither the Defense Ministry nor Israel’s Prime Minister differentiated between “Israel” and “Israeli-occupied Syrian territory”.On Saturday, the Israeli army targeted two Syrian tanks which allegedly had fired into Israel and heavy machine gun positions. – More precisely, Syrian tanks had fired a number of shells into areas in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan. It was this incident that “provoked” Israel’s alleged “retaliation”.
On Sunday, the Israelis targeted two artillery launchers and an ammunitions truck, in Syrian-controlled territory. after several Syrian artillery projectiles landed in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights without causing any harm or damage. A similar incident happened on Saturday. after a number of shells were fired into the Golan from Syrian-controlled positions.
On Sunday afternoon, the Israeli Ministry of Defense used its Twitter account to state: “In response to several Syrian projectiles launched towards Israel IDF targeted 2 Syrian regime artillery positions & an ammunitions truck”. Two hours prior to that, the army admitted that a number of Syrian shells had hit the Golan heights without causing damage.
Not differentiating between Israeli occupied territory and Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, earlier on Sunday, “Our policy is clear: We will not tolerate any spillover or trickle, whatsoever, neither mortars or rockets, from any front”.
The incidents occurred within the context of recent U.S. attacks against Syrian troops in the tri-border area of Iraq, Jordan and Syria – a corridor of control that fits seamlessly with Israeli controlled Syrian territories. Both U.S. and coalition as well as Israeli maneuvers in the region are apparently also aim to combat the Iran -Syria – Hezbollah axis.
Israel introduced home demolition scheme in the Israeli-occupied Syrian GolanIn September of 2016, Israeli occupation authorities in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, for the first time, demolished a home, claiming it was built without permission. The demolition and claims the house was built without permission violates Israel’s obligations under international law, according to which an occupying power must assure that administration in occupied territories adhere, to the greatest possible degree, to the law of the occupied country’s territory.
Israel has, however, enforced new Hebrew as official administrative language, denies building permits and engages in other violations of international law that aim at oppressing the Arab population and culture and Syrian administration in the occupied Golan.
Al Marsad, which is the only human rights organization that operates in the Golan, reported that hundreds of Israeli police accompanied by bulldozers demolished the home of Bassam Ibrahim in Majdal Shams, the largest town in the Israeli occupied Golan. In a statement, Al Marsad said:
“This is the first time that the Israeli authorities have demolished a home in Majdal Shams. … The destruction of this home marks the adoption of a new systematic policy of home demolitions by the Israeli authorities in the remaining Syrian villages in the Occupied Syrian Golan. The Syrian owners of dozens of other homes have been threatened with similar action. … As a result of the severe restrictions imposed by Israeli planning and construction committees, it is close to impossible for the Syrian population to obtain the necessary building permits. Therefore, the Syrian population is forced to build homes without building permits, as this is the only way to meet their housing needs given unprecedented levels of overcrowding.”
The rights organization accused Israel of preventing the Syrian population from building in their cities while encouraging and facilitating the construction and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights.
Israel occupied the Syrian Golan Heights after the June 1967 war. Israel’s continued occupation violates international law and has been opposed by several UN General Assembly resolutions. None of the UN Security Council’s five permanent members (P5), however, has taken any tangible steps that would be consistent with their mandate and obligation to end the illegal occupation.
The failure of UN Security Council and the UN system as a whole has emboldened Israel to declare that “Israel and the Golan are part and parcel”. In June 2013 an Austrian United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) officer explained that Israel was maintaining a joint intelligence and operations room with “Syrian rebels”. Warnings by Syrian UN Envoy Dr. Al-Hamwi, in July 2013, to the effect that Israel commits methodical crimes in the Golan were ignored by the UN Security Council (UNSC).
By mid-2013, reports about the Israeli involvement in the war on Syria via the Israeli occupied Syrian Golan and in the UNDOF controlled neutral zone slowly made it to some of the Western and Arab media. The administration of Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu transformed that, what could have developed into a PR nightmare, into a propaganda success when Netanyahu visited an Israeli field hospital for “Syrian opposition fighters”.
Netanyahu told Israeli TV viewers and international press that the field hospital showed the true, humanitarian face of Israel. The PM did not mention a word about Israel’s direct and indirect military support of Jabhat al-Nusra and other al-Qaeda associated brigades. (see video)
Israel opened a 12 – 16 kilometer wide corridor for Syrian Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra after Displacement of UNDOF Troops – “International Community” stands by or pays lip serviceAlso in 2013, Israeli machinations and cooperation with Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusrah, resulted in the withdrawal of UNDOF troops from a 12 – 16 kilometer wide corridor in the disengagement zone. (see map below)
The UNDOF withdrawal leaves a 12 – 16 km wide corridor uncontrolled by the UNDOF. In 2013 it transpired that Israel is providing support for Jabhat al-Nusrah, which includes a joint intelligence and military operations room in the Israeli occupied Golan, logistic support, weapons, field hospitals, and direct combat support. (Map plotting by Christof Lehmann) Click on map to view full size.
The corridor facilitated direct logistic support of Islamist insurgents in Syria via this corridor. Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Pyotr Ilyichev, urged the international community to use its influence on anti-Syrian militants in the Golan Heights to prevent the phase-down of the UNDOF peacekeeping mission.
However, the lip-service of the deputy representative did not manifest in a Russian sponsored UN Security Council resolution. In February 2014 then Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman publicly called for “settling the Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights within the framework of the Israeli – Palestinian negotiations” adding that “part of this comprehensive bargain has to cover an understanding between Israel, the international community and the USA” and adding that “the Golan is part and parcel with Israel”.
Wednesday morning, March 5, 2014, Israeli troops launched military attacks against Syria from the Israeli occupied Syrian Golan Heights. Several Syrian Internal Security Forces and civilians were injured. On March 7, mass protests in Syria denounced Israel’s aggression.
In May 2014, Israel denied Syrians in the occupied Golan Heights voting rights. during Syrian elections. Again, the United Nations failed to respond. In 2015 Israel intensified its annexation program, inspired by the discovery of substantial hydrocarbon resources in the Golan Heights. US interests involving Genie Energy and celebrities including Dick Cheney are involved in plans to develop the resources.
Prior to talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in April 2016, Netanyahu asserted that “Israel will never relinquish the Golan Heights”.
Despite all critique of U.S. support for Israel and Israel’s aggressions against Syria in Russian State media, also in 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin, the President of a permanent UN Security Council member State was spectacularly silent about Israel’s “red lines”. In June, 2016 Syrians in the occupied Golan launched protests against Israel’s annexation plans. The international press was spectacularly silent. None of the five permanent UNSC member States officially responded to the first “home demolition”.
The corridor facilitated direct logistic support of Islamist insurgents in Syria via this corridor. Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Pyotr Ilyichev, urged the international community to use its influence on anti-Syrian militants in the Golan Heights to prevent the phase-down of the UNDOF peacekeeping mission.
However, the lip-service of the deputy representative did not manifest in a Russian sponsored UN Security Council resolution. In February 2014 then Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman publicly called for “settling the Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights within the framework of the Israeli – Palestinian negotiations” adding that “part of this comprehensive bargain has to cover an understanding between Israel, the international community and the USA” and adding that “the Golan is part and parcel with Israel”.
Wednesday morning, March 5, 2014, Israeli troops launched military attacks against Syria from the Israeli occupied Syrian Golan Heights. Several Syrian Internal Security Forces and civilians were injured. On March 7, mass protests in Syria denounced Israel’s aggression.
In May 2014, Israel denied Syrians in the occupied Golan Heights voting rights. during Syrian elections. Again, the United Nations failed to respond. In 2015 Israel intensified its annexation program, inspired by the discovery of substantial hydrocarbon resources in the Golan Heights. US interests involving Genie Energy and celebrities including Dick Cheney are involved in plans to develop the resources.
Prior to talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in April 2016, Netanyahu asserted that “Israel will never relinquish the Golan Heights”.
Despite all critique of U.S. support for Israel and Israel’s aggressions against Syria in Russian State media, also in 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin, the President of a permanent UN Security Council member State was spectacularly silent about Israel’s “red lines”. In June, 2016 Syrians in the occupied Golan launched protests against Israel’s annexation plans. The international press was spectacularly silent. None of the five permanent UNSC member States officially responded to the first “home demolition”.
24 june 2017
The Israeli army attacked Syrian army positions in the Golan Heights on Saturday, after errant fire from the Syrian side spilled over into the Israeli occupied part of the territory, according to the Israeli army.
The Israeli attack reportedly left two Syrian army soldiers killed in the city of Quneitra, according to Syrian media reports.
The Israeli army said in a statement that over 10 projectiles were fired from Syria, hitting an open area and causing no injuries or damages.
“In response,” the Israeli army said sometime later, “Israeli aircraft targeted the origin of the launches and two Syrian tanks.”
“Due to the unacceptable breach of Israeli sovereignty, an official protest has been filed with United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF),” the army’s statement concluded.
Since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, the Golan Heights has been tense, with a growing number of rockets and mortar rounds hitting the Israeli side, mostly stray, prompting occasional armed responses.
Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers of the Golan Heights in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community.
Israel attacks Syrian tanks in response to wayward projectiles
Ten mortar shells land in Israeli territory, causing no damage or injuries; the fire is presumed to be spillover from Syrian infighting; the IDF recommends residents keep their distance from the Syrian border; the military states it holds the Assad regime responsible for what takes place in their territory.
Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked a number of targets belonging to the Syrian regime loyal to President Bashar Assad on Saturday afternoon in response to mortar shell fire earlier in the day that landed in Israeli territory.
The IDF reported that ten projectiles were identified as having landed in the northern Israeli Golan Heights, apparently as a spillover from the civil war that is raging in Syria. The Israeli military added that the IAF retaliatory strike was aimed at two tanks and a position whence the projectiles were fired into Israel.
The IDF said that the fire from Syria landed in open areas Saturday and no injuries or damage was caused. But with Israelis flocking to the Golan Heights in the summer for hikes and fruit picking, the military asked them to keep their distance from the border area.
No siren was activated by the Syrian fire, which landed close to the border fence between Quneitra and the Valley of Tears.
A statement released by the military reads in part, "The IDF sees with severity and will not tolerate any attempt to harm the sovereignty of the State of Israel or the security of its residents, and sees the Syrian regime as responsible for what is happening in its territory."
The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Syrian troops and their allies repelled an attack by insurgents on the outskirts of the southern city of Baath on the edge of the Golan Heights. The SCMM accused an Israeli helicopter of assisting insurgents in their attack on military outposts.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that Israeli warplanes attacked a Syrian army position in Quneitra while Syria's state-run news agency SANA said "an army position was targeted in Quneitra."
Israel has steadfastly stayed on the sidelines of Syria's civil war, now in its seventh year, refraining from taking sides or getting drawn into hostilities. It has responded in the past with limited strikes when fire has spilled into Israel.
The Israeli attack reportedly left two Syrian army soldiers killed in the city of Quneitra, according to Syrian media reports.
The Israeli army said in a statement that over 10 projectiles were fired from Syria, hitting an open area and causing no injuries or damages.
“In response,” the Israeli army said sometime later, “Israeli aircraft targeted the origin of the launches and two Syrian tanks.”
“Due to the unacceptable breach of Israeli sovereignty, an official protest has been filed with United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF),” the army’s statement concluded.
Since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, the Golan Heights has been tense, with a growing number of rockets and mortar rounds hitting the Israeli side, mostly stray, prompting occasional armed responses.
Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers of the Golan Heights in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community.
Israel attacks Syrian tanks in response to wayward projectiles
Ten mortar shells land in Israeli territory, causing no damage or injuries; the fire is presumed to be spillover from Syrian infighting; the IDF recommends residents keep their distance from the Syrian border; the military states it holds the Assad regime responsible for what takes place in their territory.
Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked a number of targets belonging to the Syrian regime loyal to President Bashar Assad on Saturday afternoon in response to mortar shell fire earlier in the day that landed in Israeli territory.
The IDF reported that ten projectiles were identified as having landed in the northern Israeli Golan Heights, apparently as a spillover from the civil war that is raging in Syria. The Israeli military added that the IAF retaliatory strike was aimed at two tanks and a position whence the projectiles were fired into Israel.
The IDF said that the fire from Syria landed in open areas Saturday and no injuries or damage was caused. But with Israelis flocking to the Golan Heights in the summer for hikes and fruit picking, the military asked them to keep their distance from the border area.
No siren was activated by the Syrian fire, which landed close to the border fence between Quneitra and the Valley of Tears.
A statement released by the military reads in part, "The IDF sees with severity and will not tolerate any attempt to harm the sovereignty of the State of Israel or the security of its residents, and sees the Syrian regime as responsible for what is happening in its territory."
The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Syrian troops and their allies repelled an attack by insurgents on the outskirts of the southern city of Baath on the edge of the Golan Heights. The SCMM accused an Israeli helicopter of assisting insurgents in their attack on military outposts.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that Israeli warplanes attacked a Syrian army position in Quneitra while Syria's state-run news agency SANA said "an army position was targeted in Quneitra."
Israel has steadfastly stayed on the sidelines of Syria's civil war, now in its seventh year, refraining from taking sides or getting drawn into hostilities. It has responded in the past with limited strikes when fire has spilled into Israel.
21 june 2017
Israel has carried out an extensive operation backing militant groups near the border with northern Israel. This includes the provision of supplies and even direct financial aid.
The report is called Israel’s Quiet Campaign to Gain a Foothold in Southern Syria. It’s by Nour Samaha, a freelance journalist based in Beirut. I spoke to her earlier today. Nour, welcome.
NOUR SAMAHA: Thank you.
AARON MATÉ: We’ve known about Israel’s cooperation with or tacit support for Al-Nusra rebels in southern Syria for quite some time. Most of the focus has been on basically Israel treating wounded fighters in its hospitals. Your piece though goes into detail that I don’t think we’ve heard before. At least for a western audience. Can you explain what you found?
NOUR SAMAHA: Well, first off, it needs to be highlighted that it’s not just Nusra rebels, Nusra fighters that they’re treating, but, obviously, a variety of opposition rebels that are based in opposition-controlled Quneitra, which is along the border or along the technical fence with Israel. What the Israelis have been doing, and they’ve been doing it for several years now, is reaching out beyond humanitarian aid or medical support for fighters, but also distributing aid and educational equipment inside opposition-controlled Quneitra, as well as more recently, funding and arming their own opposition group. That opposition group is called The Golan Knights, or Liwa Forsan al Joulan in Arabic. They’re still relatively small, but they have admitted to accepting aid and arms from the Israelis. This is the first time that this sort of information has come out publicly.
I think essentially what it is showing is that the Israelis, although they’re working quite quietly and they still maintain this policy of non-involvement inside Syria, are actually working very, very actively inside southern Syria in order to create an Israeli-friendly zone of influence.I think it’s, again, important to point out that not only is this reminiscent of what they did in Lebanon during the civil war, but they’re very keen on ensuring that there’s a buffer zone or a safe zone between them and the Syrian forces, and the Syrian government and its allies. In order to do that, they need to be able to make sure that the population, the local population in that area can help them out and is not hostile towards them.
AARON MATÉ: Can you explain further in terms of wanting to create that friendly buffer zone inside Syria? Because it’s very significant. Especially bringing up the comparison to southern Lebanon, where Israeli support for militant forces there has had deadly consequences.
NOUR SAMAHA: Well, in southern Lebanon basically what they did at the beginning of the war was they created, it’s called The Good Fence Policy. The idea was that they set up a liaison unit on the Israeli side of the border and they basically had an open door policy for Lebanese to come into Israel to receive free medical care to help them out in terms of employment. Eventually what it did was it opened up the possibility for the Israelis to actually be present inside Lebanon, and they then created their own militia, which was the Free Lebanon Army. Then they changed it to the South Lebanon Army. This militia basically controlled southern Lebanon under Israeli guidance. The South Lebanon Army and the Israelis were working side by side in southern Lebanon in order to ensure that it was an area that was productive and helpful for the Israelis.
Now, what we’re seeing in Syria is something very, very similar to what they did in southern Lebanon. They want to create this Israel-friendly zone. I think the mistake that they … I think they’ve learned from their mistakes in Lebanon. I do not think that the Israelis are keen on putting boots on the ground inside Syria. What they would rather have are people that do their bidding for them. What we’re seeing are buses going in and out on a daily basis. Bringing in injured, and wounded, and sick from opposition-held southern Syria into Israel. You have civilians and fighters that can stay up to a year and a half inside Israel hospitals. They’re creating this relationship with the population, like I said, in order to have this Israel-friendly environment, Israel-friendly society.
AARON MATÉ: Part of that, I imagine for Israel too, is establishing a buffer zone that would help it consolidate its annexation of the Golan Heights, which it occupied 50 years ago in 1967.
NOUR SAMAHA: 100%. It’s an absolute … It’s a great plan for the Israelis if you will because, like you said, they’ve occupied the Golan Heights. They considered it to be annexed and part of Israel. The international community has not recognized that. They do consider it to be occupied, and that it is originally Syria territory and should be returned back to Syria. What the Israelis are trying to do with this buffer zone or with this Israel-friendly zone is, again, create distance between the Syrian government and where they’re based and where the Israelis are.In any future negotiations, this will only go further to cement Israel’s claim over the Golan Heights. Even now they’re using the argument of, ‘Syria’s unstable. It’s very unclear the direction that it’s going to go in. The Golan Heights that’s with us is stable. We’re investing. We’re helping the people. Why would after 50 years or even longer would we return it back to Syria? It should stay with us and it belongs to us.’ Having this zone or this area, again, puts distance between the Israelis and the Syrian government and its forces on the ground, which again helps serve their argument.
AARON MATÉ: I want to play a few of comment of Efraim Halevy. He’s the former head of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. He was interviewed by Al Jazeera and asked about Israel treating wounded Al-Nusra or Al-Qaeda fighters in Israeli hospitals. This is what he said.
Mehdi Hasan: Do those reports worry you that Israel’s helping wounded Al-Qaeda aligned fighters?
Efraim Halevy: As I said before in a different context, it’s always useful also to deal with your enemies in a humane way.
Mehdi Hasan: You know better than me the phrase blowback. You don’t think there’s going to be blowback against Israel if you get into bed with a group like Nusra Front?
Efraim Halevy: No, I don’t think so. I don’t think there’s going to be blowback.
Mehdi Hasan: Why?
Efraim Halevy: Because I think that, unfortunately, the rules of the game in Syria are such that you can do anything that is not possible to be done anywhere else.
Mehdi Hasan: I think people said that in Afghanistan too. Would you also treat Hezbollah fighters?
Efraim Halevy: No.
AARON MATÉ: That’s Efraim Halevy, former head of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. He was speaking Al Jazeera’s Mehdi Hasan. Nour, interesting there that he dismisses the potential for blowback from Al-Nusra and also says that despite extolling the principal of treating your enemies, he wouldn’t treat Hezbollah. Just Al-Qaeda.
NOUR SAMAHA: It’s an Israeli policy, and also Al-Nusra and the opposition in southern Syria have done absolutely nothing to indicate that they would be any threat whatsoever to the Israelis. The Israelis have worked very closely and very diligently to make sure that these people would not have any sort of impact on Israel. I think we’ve seen that very clearly on the ground. There have been no attacks at all from the opposition onto Israel. Again, from the sources that I have from both the opposition and from the government side, it’s not in their interest to enter into a war with the Israelis.As far as the Israelis are concerned, the opposition is not a threat. Nusra is not a threat for them. Nothing that’s Nusra’s ever released would ever indicate that Israel is an enemy for them. Hezbollah, on the other hand, is a completely different story. At least with regards to the Israelis. Hezbollah, as far as the Israelis are concerned, is the biggest threat for them. I think this year in their annual report regarding their security situation, they said that Hezbollah is an existential threat for them.
As far as they’re concerned … Again, this adds to the issue of the buffer zone.The reason why they’re so keen on establishing this is because Hezbollah, alongside the Syrian government and pro-Iranian forces, is a huge threat for the Israelis. They want to do anything in order to prevent them from having any sort of access or come closer to their borders. If that means working with the opposition then that’s fine. On the other side, for the opposition, I think the way that they see it … There’s no reason why they shouldn’t be working with the Israelis.The Israelis have been conducting airstrikes in Syria that have aided the opposition. Again, from government sources, as far as they’re concerned when you monitor the battles that happen in southern Syria, any way the government starts making advances or launches offensives that push the opposition back there’ll suddenly be an Israeli airstrike. As far as the government is concerned, the Israelis are doing whatever it is that they can to help out the opposition. I think it works both their favors. Both the opposition and the Israelis to have this relationship in which they’re both fighting the same enemy.
AARON MATÉ: Nour, on that point, a few days after your piece came out, the Wall Street Journal put out a report basically piggybacking on a lot of the reporting you did in your piece and reporting essentially the same things. They spoke to a spokesperson for the rebel group, Knights of the Golan, who said, “Israel stood by our side in a heroic way. We wouldn’t have survived without Israel’s assistance.”
NOUR SAMAHA: Yeah, I think that pretty much says it all. I think it’s interesting that there’s a group that can come out and say something like that when just literally a few meters away from where he’s standing the Israelis are still occupying his land. Apparently, they don’t have an issue with receiving money and weapons from the Israelis, so I think the entire situation is incredibly fascinating and somewhat bizarre because apparently occupation of land is okay in one area as long as the funding and the arms can keep coming to them.
AARON MATÉ: Nour, it’s said of Israel by some of its critics that it wants a regime change inside Syria, but a piece like yours, to me, indicates that actually, it’s pursuing a policy of just perpetual stalemates stoking fighting from the two sides. It’s been pointed out that if Israel really wanted to push regime change in Syria it could do more. It could, for example, send its forces to Syria’s southern border forcing Assad to divert his forces there and then away from the fight against rebels.On this point, I want to read you a quote from an Israeli intelligence officer who was interviewed in Politico recently talking about the situation in Syria and what the Israeli strategy is. This officer referenced what former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin said about the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Asked whether Israel supports Iraq or Iran in that conflict. The officer quotes Begin as saying, “I wish luck to both parties. They can go at it killing each other.” The officer goes on to say, “The same thing here. You have ISIS killing Al-Qaeda by the thousands. Al-Qaeda killing ISIS by the thousands, and they are both killing Hezbollah and Assad.”
NOUR SAMAHA: I don’t think that the Israelis are interested in a regime change. I think that there’s enough information coming from domestic think tanks inside Israel that indicate the same thing. They don’t want a vacuum in Damascus. It would incredibly problematic for them because, again, they would be dealing with a government or a state that they have no idea about. I think the opposition is fractured enough that it’s very unclear as to who could lead Syria in a post-conflict state. At the same time, they don’t want a strong Assad either, so it definitely serves their interest to have all of their enemies fighting each other on a playing field that they don’t even have to get involved in.Having ISIS and having Al-Qaeda, and having Hezbollah, and having the Syrian army, and having the Iranian forces all involved on the same battlefield and the Israelis aren’t there, I think they’re very happy sitting on the sidelines in that sense.
I think, again, they don’t want to see … Like you said, they haven’t done enough inside Syria in order to really push for a regime change because it really isn’t in their interest. They’re okay with Assad staying in power, but as long as he’s weak. If he’s weak and if he’s answerable to people like the Russians or even the international community then that means there would be much more control over Hezbollah and the Iranians. This is something that the Israelis want. Like I said, they’re not looking for a vacuum there. They’re not looking for a vacuum. They’re looking for a very weak state.
AARON MATÉ: Nour, finally, your piece adds a new layer of detail to the understanding we have of the various foreign players who are involved in Syria. You’ve laid out for us a very detailed picture of what not Israel is doing inside Syria, along with many other countries, including the US, Russia, Iran, Turkey, the Gulf states, and so forth. Your thoughts as we wrap up on what it means for the Syrian conflict if all this foreign interference keeps going unimpeded?
NOUR SAMAHA: I think it spells out a very, very sad and bleak future of Syria. As we said, every single foreign force, if you want, is involved in some way in Syria. What we’re seeing now is we’re seeing an area of Syria in northern Syria that’s practically a province of Turkey now. We’re seeing another part of northern Syria that has US bases and US troops inside it. We have Iranian forces inside Syria. We have Iraqi forces inside Syria. We have Russian forces inside Syria. We have Lebanese forces inside Syria. Having all of this inside Syria already and this is just six years in.
I think we’re looking at a very long and protracted war, and I think it will be very difficult even five years from now for Syria to be able to crawl back to the level of sovereignty that they had before 2011. I think this is something that a lot of people need to be aware of as they continue to push to have more intervention inside Syria. It’s going to turn out very, very, very ugly and a lot uglier than what we’ve seen right now.
AARON MATÉ: Nour Samaha, freelance journalist based in Beirut. Her latest piece for Syria Deeply is Israel’s Quiet Campaign to Gain a Foothold in Southern Syria. Nour, thank you.
NOUR SAMAHA: Thank you very much.
AARON MATÉ: Thank you for joining us on The Real News.
The report is called Israel’s Quiet Campaign to Gain a Foothold in Southern Syria. It’s by Nour Samaha, a freelance journalist based in Beirut. I spoke to her earlier today. Nour, welcome.
NOUR SAMAHA: Thank you.
AARON MATÉ: We’ve known about Israel’s cooperation with or tacit support for Al-Nusra rebels in southern Syria for quite some time. Most of the focus has been on basically Israel treating wounded fighters in its hospitals. Your piece though goes into detail that I don’t think we’ve heard before. At least for a western audience. Can you explain what you found?
NOUR SAMAHA: Well, first off, it needs to be highlighted that it’s not just Nusra rebels, Nusra fighters that they’re treating, but, obviously, a variety of opposition rebels that are based in opposition-controlled Quneitra, which is along the border or along the technical fence with Israel. What the Israelis have been doing, and they’ve been doing it for several years now, is reaching out beyond humanitarian aid or medical support for fighters, but also distributing aid and educational equipment inside opposition-controlled Quneitra, as well as more recently, funding and arming their own opposition group. That opposition group is called The Golan Knights, or Liwa Forsan al Joulan in Arabic. They’re still relatively small, but they have admitted to accepting aid and arms from the Israelis. This is the first time that this sort of information has come out publicly.
I think essentially what it is showing is that the Israelis, although they’re working quite quietly and they still maintain this policy of non-involvement inside Syria, are actually working very, very actively inside southern Syria in order to create an Israeli-friendly zone of influence.I think it’s, again, important to point out that not only is this reminiscent of what they did in Lebanon during the civil war, but they’re very keen on ensuring that there’s a buffer zone or a safe zone between them and the Syrian forces, and the Syrian government and its allies. In order to do that, they need to be able to make sure that the population, the local population in that area can help them out and is not hostile towards them.
AARON MATÉ: Can you explain further in terms of wanting to create that friendly buffer zone inside Syria? Because it’s very significant. Especially bringing up the comparison to southern Lebanon, where Israeli support for militant forces there has had deadly consequences.
NOUR SAMAHA: Well, in southern Lebanon basically what they did at the beginning of the war was they created, it’s called The Good Fence Policy. The idea was that they set up a liaison unit on the Israeli side of the border and they basically had an open door policy for Lebanese to come into Israel to receive free medical care to help them out in terms of employment. Eventually what it did was it opened up the possibility for the Israelis to actually be present inside Lebanon, and they then created their own militia, which was the Free Lebanon Army. Then they changed it to the South Lebanon Army. This militia basically controlled southern Lebanon under Israeli guidance. The South Lebanon Army and the Israelis were working side by side in southern Lebanon in order to ensure that it was an area that was productive and helpful for the Israelis.
Now, what we’re seeing in Syria is something very, very similar to what they did in southern Lebanon. They want to create this Israel-friendly zone. I think the mistake that they … I think they’ve learned from their mistakes in Lebanon. I do not think that the Israelis are keen on putting boots on the ground inside Syria. What they would rather have are people that do their bidding for them. What we’re seeing are buses going in and out on a daily basis. Bringing in injured, and wounded, and sick from opposition-held southern Syria into Israel. You have civilians and fighters that can stay up to a year and a half inside Israel hospitals. They’re creating this relationship with the population, like I said, in order to have this Israel-friendly environment, Israel-friendly society.
AARON MATÉ: Part of that, I imagine for Israel too, is establishing a buffer zone that would help it consolidate its annexation of the Golan Heights, which it occupied 50 years ago in 1967.
NOUR SAMAHA: 100%. It’s an absolute … It’s a great plan for the Israelis if you will because, like you said, they’ve occupied the Golan Heights. They considered it to be annexed and part of Israel. The international community has not recognized that. They do consider it to be occupied, and that it is originally Syria territory and should be returned back to Syria. What the Israelis are trying to do with this buffer zone or with this Israel-friendly zone is, again, create distance between the Syrian government and where they’re based and where the Israelis are.In any future negotiations, this will only go further to cement Israel’s claim over the Golan Heights. Even now they’re using the argument of, ‘Syria’s unstable. It’s very unclear the direction that it’s going to go in. The Golan Heights that’s with us is stable. We’re investing. We’re helping the people. Why would after 50 years or even longer would we return it back to Syria? It should stay with us and it belongs to us.’ Having this zone or this area, again, puts distance between the Israelis and the Syrian government and its forces on the ground, which again helps serve their argument.
AARON MATÉ: I want to play a few of comment of Efraim Halevy. He’s the former head of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. He was interviewed by Al Jazeera and asked about Israel treating wounded Al-Nusra or Al-Qaeda fighters in Israeli hospitals. This is what he said.
Mehdi Hasan: Do those reports worry you that Israel’s helping wounded Al-Qaeda aligned fighters?
Efraim Halevy: As I said before in a different context, it’s always useful also to deal with your enemies in a humane way.
Mehdi Hasan: You know better than me the phrase blowback. You don’t think there’s going to be blowback against Israel if you get into bed with a group like Nusra Front?
Efraim Halevy: No, I don’t think so. I don’t think there’s going to be blowback.
Mehdi Hasan: Why?
Efraim Halevy: Because I think that, unfortunately, the rules of the game in Syria are such that you can do anything that is not possible to be done anywhere else.
Mehdi Hasan: I think people said that in Afghanistan too. Would you also treat Hezbollah fighters?
Efraim Halevy: No.
AARON MATÉ: That’s Efraim Halevy, former head of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. He was speaking Al Jazeera’s Mehdi Hasan. Nour, interesting there that he dismisses the potential for blowback from Al-Nusra and also says that despite extolling the principal of treating your enemies, he wouldn’t treat Hezbollah. Just Al-Qaeda.
NOUR SAMAHA: It’s an Israeli policy, and also Al-Nusra and the opposition in southern Syria have done absolutely nothing to indicate that they would be any threat whatsoever to the Israelis. The Israelis have worked very closely and very diligently to make sure that these people would not have any sort of impact on Israel. I think we’ve seen that very clearly on the ground. There have been no attacks at all from the opposition onto Israel. Again, from the sources that I have from both the opposition and from the government side, it’s not in their interest to enter into a war with the Israelis.As far as the Israelis are concerned, the opposition is not a threat. Nusra is not a threat for them. Nothing that’s Nusra’s ever released would ever indicate that Israel is an enemy for them. Hezbollah, on the other hand, is a completely different story. At least with regards to the Israelis. Hezbollah, as far as the Israelis are concerned, is the biggest threat for them. I think this year in their annual report regarding their security situation, they said that Hezbollah is an existential threat for them.
As far as they’re concerned … Again, this adds to the issue of the buffer zone.The reason why they’re so keen on establishing this is because Hezbollah, alongside the Syrian government and pro-Iranian forces, is a huge threat for the Israelis. They want to do anything in order to prevent them from having any sort of access or come closer to their borders. If that means working with the opposition then that’s fine. On the other side, for the opposition, I think the way that they see it … There’s no reason why they shouldn’t be working with the Israelis.The Israelis have been conducting airstrikes in Syria that have aided the opposition. Again, from government sources, as far as they’re concerned when you monitor the battles that happen in southern Syria, any way the government starts making advances or launches offensives that push the opposition back there’ll suddenly be an Israeli airstrike. As far as the government is concerned, the Israelis are doing whatever it is that they can to help out the opposition. I think it works both their favors. Both the opposition and the Israelis to have this relationship in which they’re both fighting the same enemy.
AARON MATÉ: Nour, on that point, a few days after your piece came out, the Wall Street Journal put out a report basically piggybacking on a lot of the reporting you did in your piece and reporting essentially the same things. They spoke to a spokesperson for the rebel group, Knights of the Golan, who said, “Israel stood by our side in a heroic way. We wouldn’t have survived without Israel’s assistance.”
NOUR SAMAHA: Yeah, I think that pretty much says it all. I think it’s interesting that there’s a group that can come out and say something like that when just literally a few meters away from where he’s standing the Israelis are still occupying his land. Apparently, they don’t have an issue with receiving money and weapons from the Israelis, so I think the entire situation is incredibly fascinating and somewhat bizarre because apparently occupation of land is okay in one area as long as the funding and the arms can keep coming to them.
AARON MATÉ: Nour, it’s said of Israel by some of its critics that it wants a regime change inside Syria, but a piece like yours, to me, indicates that actually, it’s pursuing a policy of just perpetual stalemates stoking fighting from the two sides. It’s been pointed out that if Israel really wanted to push regime change in Syria it could do more. It could, for example, send its forces to Syria’s southern border forcing Assad to divert his forces there and then away from the fight against rebels.On this point, I want to read you a quote from an Israeli intelligence officer who was interviewed in Politico recently talking about the situation in Syria and what the Israeli strategy is. This officer referenced what former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin said about the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Asked whether Israel supports Iraq or Iran in that conflict. The officer quotes Begin as saying, “I wish luck to both parties. They can go at it killing each other.” The officer goes on to say, “The same thing here. You have ISIS killing Al-Qaeda by the thousands. Al-Qaeda killing ISIS by the thousands, and they are both killing Hezbollah and Assad.”
NOUR SAMAHA: I don’t think that the Israelis are interested in a regime change. I think that there’s enough information coming from domestic think tanks inside Israel that indicate the same thing. They don’t want a vacuum in Damascus. It would incredibly problematic for them because, again, they would be dealing with a government or a state that they have no idea about. I think the opposition is fractured enough that it’s very unclear as to who could lead Syria in a post-conflict state. At the same time, they don’t want a strong Assad either, so it definitely serves their interest to have all of their enemies fighting each other on a playing field that they don’t even have to get involved in.Having ISIS and having Al-Qaeda, and having Hezbollah, and having the Syrian army, and having the Iranian forces all involved on the same battlefield and the Israelis aren’t there, I think they’re very happy sitting on the sidelines in that sense.
I think, again, they don’t want to see … Like you said, they haven’t done enough inside Syria in order to really push for a regime change because it really isn’t in their interest. They’re okay with Assad staying in power, but as long as he’s weak. If he’s weak and if he’s answerable to people like the Russians or even the international community then that means there would be much more control over Hezbollah and the Iranians. This is something that the Israelis want. Like I said, they’re not looking for a vacuum there. They’re not looking for a vacuum. They’re looking for a very weak state.
AARON MATÉ: Nour, finally, your piece adds a new layer of detail to the understanding we have of the various foreign players who are involved in Syria. You’ve laid out for us a very detailed picture of what not Israel is doing inside Syria, along with many other countries, including the US, Russia, Iran, Turkey, the Gulf states, and so forth. Your thoughts as we wrap up on what it means for the Syrian conflict if all this foreign interference keeps going unimpeded?
NOUR SAMAHA: I think it spells out a very, very sad and bleak future of Syria. As we said, every single foreign force, if you want, is involved in some way in Syria. What we’re seeing now is we’re seeing an area of Syria in northern Syria that’s practically a province of Turkey now. We’re seeing another part of northern Syria that has US bases and US troops inside it. We have Iranian forces inside Syria. We have Iraqi forces inside Syria. We have Russian forces inside Syria. We have Lebanese forces inside Syria. Having all of this inside Syria already and this is just six years in.
I think we’re looking at a very long and protracted war, and I think it will be very difficult even five years from now for Syria to be able to crawl back to the level of sovereignty that they had before 2011. I think this is something that a lot of people need to be aware of as they continue to push to have more intervention inside Syria. It’s going to turn out very, very, very ugly and a lot uglier than what we’ve seen right now.
AARON MATÉ: Nour Samaha, freelance journalist based in Beirut. Her latest piece for Syria Deeply is Israel’s Quiet Campaign to Gain a Foothold in Southern Syria. Nour, thank you.
NOUR SAMAHA: Thank you very much.
AARON MATÉ: Thank you for joining us on The Real News.
27 apr 2017
Heavy blasts rocked the vicinity of Damascus International Airport after Israeli air raids targeted the area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported Thursday.
According to preliminary reports that have emerged in the morning, Israeli air raids targeted an arms supply hub near Damascus International Airport.
Live snapshots of heavy blasts at the international airport have been circulated on social media networks.
Russian Sputnik news agency attributed the blasts to five airstrikes launched by the Israeli fighter jets on an armed squadron at Damascus Airport.
The nature of the damage to the airport has not been revealed yet, but the strikes reportedly occurred at around 03:25 a.m. local time.
SOHR added that the reasons for the blasts remain unverified.
According to preliminary reports that have emerged in the morning, Israeli air raids targeted an arms supply hub near Damascus International Airport.
Live snapshots of heavy blasts at the international airport have been circulated on social media networks.
Russian Sputnik news agency attributed the blasts to five airstrikes launched by the Israeli fighter jets on an armed squadron at Damascus Airport.
The nature of the damage to the airport has not been revealed yet, but the strikes reportedly occurred at around 03:25 a.m. local time.
SOHR added that the reasons for the blasts remain unverified.
19 mar 2017
Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth said on Sunday that an Israeli drone strike had killed Yasser al-Sayyid after targeting his vehicle in Quneitra area in the Syrian Golan Heights on Sunday evening.
Syrian media sources affirmed the assassination news of al-Sayyid revealing that he is a high-ranking officer of Syria’s air defense forces who confronted Israeli airstrikes on Syria last Friday.
Syrian media sources affirmed the assassination news of al-Sayyid revealing that he is a high-ranking officer of Syria’s air defense forces who confronted Israeli airstrikes on Syria last Friday.
17 mar 2017
Israeli army warplanes were hit with anti-craft missiles in return for raids launched on Syrian targets, the Israeli occupation army announced on Friday morning.
An Israeli army spokesman said Israeli warplanes struck Syria targets overnight before they were hit by anti-aircraft missiles. One of the missiles was intercepted by the Israeli forces.
At daybreak Friday, Jordanian nationals said a rocket slammed into Irbid city, causing no injuries.
Sometime earlier, sounds of heavy blasts were detected near Irbid and in the occupied Palestinian territories. Red Sirens were also heard in Israeli settlement outposts.
Hebrew-speaking news outlets said the Israeli army expressed fears that one of the missiles hit the Jordan Valley.
An Israeli army spokesman said Israeli warplanes struck Syria targets overnight before they were hit by anti-aircraft missiles. One of the missiles was intercepted by the Israeli forces.
At daybreak Friday, Jordanian nationals said a rocket slammed into Irbid city, causing no injuries.
Sometime earlier, sounds of heavy blasts were detected near Irbid and in the occupied Palestinian territories. Red Sirens were also heard in Israeli settlement outposts.
Hebrew-speaking news outlets said the Israeli army expressed fears that one of the missiles hit the Jordan Valley.
9 mar 2017
As the Israeli Prime Minister peddles another illegal occupation, al-Marsad uncovers more Syrian villages destroyed by Israel in 1967.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a press release, yesterday, that Netanyahu “intends to reiterate to [Russian] President Putin the fact that the Golan Heights is not part of the discussion.”
The two leaders are scheduled to meet in Moscow, today. The “discussion” Netanyahu refers to is how to “prevent friction in Syria.” His office maintains that this goal is aided by “the ongoing link between Israel and Russia.”
Israel forcibly transferred [PDF] 130,000 Syrians from the Golan in 1967 to clear the way for its illegal occupation. In 1981, the Israeli parliament passed the Golan Annexation Law. The UN Security Council ruled the law an “inadmissible acquisition of territory by force” and therefore “null and void, and without international legal effect.”
Netanyahu also brought up Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan on February 15, 2017, with U.S. President Donald Trump. After the meeting, Netanyahu told journalists: “yes,” I did raise the “issue” of the Golan Heights with Trump. He added that he “wouldn’t say” Trump was “surprised by [the] request.”
International concern about the Israeli occupation over the Syrian Golan Heights mounted last year when Netanyahu vowed that “the Golan Heights will always remain in Israel’s hands” and “Israel will never withdraw from the Golan Heights.” Moreover, in October 2016, Israeli authorities approved of the largest settlement expansion project in the occupied Syrian Golan since 1980.
The provocative statements and actions inspired U.S. and EU representatives to assure the world that their respective governments do not consider the Golan Heights a part of Israel.
On March 1, 2017, al-Marsad: Arab Human Rights Center – the only human rights center operating in the Syrian Golan – published an updated map of Syrian villages and farms destroyed by Israeli forces in 1967, as well as the Israeli settlements built on their ruins. The organization explains, “after an in-depth comparison of various research sources (Syrian, Israeli, international), [the] new research indicates that the actual number of destroyed villages and farms is much higher: 340 villages and farms.”
Estimates suggest that Israeli authorities today deny the right of return to as many as half a million displaced Syrian Golan exiles.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a press release, yesterday, that Netanyahu “intends to reiterate to [Russian] President Putin the fact that the Golan Heights is not part of the discussion.”
The two leaders are scheduled to meet in Moscow, today. The “discussion” Netanyahu refers to is how to “prevent friction in Syria.” His office maintains that this goal is aided by “the ongoing link between Israel and Russia.”
Israel forcibly transferred [PDF] 130,000 Syrians from the Golan in 1967 to clear the way for its illegal occupation. In 1981, the Israeli parliament passed the Golan Annexation Law. The UN Security Council ruled the law an “inadmissible acquisition of territory by force” and therefore “null and void, and without international legal effect.”
Netanyahu also brought up Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan on February 15, 2017, with U.S. President Donald Trump. After the meeting, Netanyahu told journalists: “yes,” I did raise the “issue” of the Golan Heights with Trump. He added that he “wouldn’t say” Trump was “surprised by [the] request.”
International concern about the Israeli occupation over the Syrian Golan Heights mounted last year when Netanyahu vowed that “the Golan Heights will always remain in Israel’s hands” and “Israel will never withdraw from the Golan Heights.” Moreover, in October 2016, Israeli authorities approved of the largest settlement expansion project in the occupied Syrian Golan since 1980.
The provocative statements and actions inspired U.S. and EU representatives to assure the world that their respective governments do not consider the Golan Heights a part of Israel.
On March 1, 2017, al-Marsad: Arab Human Rights Center – the only human rights center operating in the Syrian Golan – published an updated map of Syrian villages and farms destroyed by Israeli forces in 1967, as well as the Israeli settlements built on their ruins. The organization explains, “after an in-depth comparison of various research sources (Syrian, Israeli, international), [the] new research indicates that the actual number of destroyed villages and farms is much higher: 340 villages and farms.”
Estimates suggest that Israeli authorities today deny the right of return to as many as half a million displaced Syrian Golan exiles.
13 jan 2017
Following the accusation that Israel fired rockets early Friday morning that hit a major military airport west of Damascus, triggering a fire, Syria promises there will be consequences without specifying whether it will retaliate directly; Israel yet to confirm or deny the claims.
Syria on Friday accused Israel of firing rockets that hit near a major military airport west of Damascus, triggering a fire, and warned Tel Aviv of repercussions without specifying whether it would retaliate for the attack, the third such incident recently according to the Syrian government.
In a statement carried on the official news agency SANA, the military said several missiles were launched just after midnight from an area near Lake Tiberias that fell in the vicinity of the Mezzeh military airport on the western edge of the capital. It did not say whether there were any casualties.
The Syrian army statement said Israel through its attacks was assisting "terrorist groups" fighting the Syrian government.
“Planes of the Israeli enemy launched a number of rockets at 00:25 from the Kinneret area at the military airport of Mezzeh,” Syrian media quoted a military official.
Residents of Damascus reported hearing several explosions that shook the capital. The Mezzeh airport compound located on the southwestern edge of the capital had been used to launch attacks on rebel-held areas near Damascus and has come previously under rebel fire.
"The Syrian army command and armed forces warn the Israeli enemy of the repercussions of this blatant attack and stresses it will continue its war on terrorism," the army statement continued.
It was the third such Israeli strike into Syria recently, according to the Syrian government.
Israel has carried out sporadic attacks in Syria throughout the course of its civil war in an effort to prevent the transfer of weapons to the terror organization of Hezbollah.
According to the Lebanese newspaper Al Mayadeen which is affiliated with the terror group, four soldiers were wounded in the strike designed to eradicate ammunition and weapons stockpiles.
On December 7, the Syrian government reported Israel fired surface-to-surface missiles that also struck near Mezzeh airport. A week earlier, SANA said Israeli jets fired two missiles from Lebanese airspace toward the outskirts of Damascus, in the Sabboura area.
The Israeli military has declined to comment on those incidents, and there was no immediate comment on Friday's reported attack.
But Israel is widely believed to have carried out a number of airstrikes in Syria in the past few years that have targeted advanced weapons systems, including Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles and Iranian-made missiles, as well as positions of the Lebanese Hezbollah group in Syria.
The Shiite group has sent thousands of its fighters to Syria to support President Bashar Assad's forces in the country's civil war, now in its sixth year.
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman recently reiterated his government's position to not get involved in the Syrian war.
In December last year, a Syrian military official also said that Israel attacked the Mezzeh airport, causing a series of explosions
Syria on Friday accused Israel of firing rockets that hit near a major military airport west of Damascus, triggering a fire, and warned Tel Aviv of repercussions without specifying whether it would retaliate for the attack, the third such incident recently according to the Syrian government.
In a statement carried on the official news agency SANA, the military said several missiles were launched just after midnight from an area near Lake Tiberias that fell in the vicinity of the Mezzeh military airport on the western edge of the capital. It did not say whether there were any casualties.
The Syrian army statement said Israel through its attacks was assisting "terrorist groups" fighting the Syrian government.
“Planes of the Israeli enemy launched a number of rockets at 00:25 from the Kinneret area at the military airport of Mezzeh,” Syrian media quoted a military official.
Residents of Damascus reported hearing several explosions that shook the capital. The Mezzeh airport compound located on the southwestern edge of the capital had been used to launch attacks on rebel-held areas near Damascus and has come previously under rebel fire.
"The Syrian army command and armed forces warn the Israeli enemy of the repercussions of this blatant attack and stresses it will continue its war on terrorism," the army statement continued.
It was the third such Israeli strike into Syria recently, according to the Syrian government.
Israel has carried out sporadic attacks in Syria throughout the course of its civil war in an effort to prevent the transfer of weapons to the terror organization of Hezbollah.
According to the Lebanese newspaper Al Mayadeen which is affiliated with the terror group, four soldiers were wounded in the strike designed to eradicate ammunition and weapons stockpiles.
On December 7, the Syrian government reported Israel fired surface-to-surface missiles that also struck near Mezzeh airport. A week earlier, SANA said Israeli jets fired two missiles from Lebanese airspace toward the outskirts of Damascus, in the Sabboura area.
The Israeli military has declined to comment on those incidents, and there was no immediate comment on Friday's reported attack.
But Israel is widely believed to have carried out a number of airstrikes in Syria in the past few years that have targeted advanced weapons systems, including Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles and Iranian-made missiles, as well as positions of the Lebanese Hezbollah group in Syria.
The Shiite group has sent thousands of its fighters to Syria to support President Bashar Assad's forces in the country's civil war, now in its sixth year.
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman recently reiterated his government's position to not get involved in the Syrian war.
In December last year, a Syrian military official also said that Israel attacked the Mezzeh airport, causing a series of explosions
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