Israel has sent more troops and reinforced its air force to the Golan Heights, a Syrian territory it has occupied since 1967, as it monitors the advance of jihadist rebels in Syria, who are heading towards Homs after taking the key city of Hama in the west of the country.
“Army troops are deployed along the border and the armed forces are closely monitoring developments and are prepared for all scenarios, offensive and defensive,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement this afternoon.
The IDF has said it will “not tolerate” threats along the Israeli border and will thwart any attempt to undermine Israel’s security.
The decision was made following a meeting yesterday afternoon of the Israeli military leadership, which included Defense Minister Israel Katz and Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, to assess the situation in Syria following the capture of Hama by the rebels.
Jihadist factions are now practically at the gates of the city of Homs, in central Syria, after taking control of the city of Aleppo last Friday and the city of Hama yesterday, both provincial capitals.
Amid the rapidly evolving Syrian conflict, Israel bombed its territory this morning, in the vicinity of the Al Arida border crossing with Lebanon, with the aim of destroying “a route for trafficking weapons and terrorist infrastructure of the Hezbollah group.”
The attack was a blow against Unit 4400 of the Lebanese organization, dedicated to smuggling weapons from Iran to Lebanon, where despite having agreed to a ceasefire, Israel maintains its troops and both sides constantly accuse each other of violating it.
One of the fears of the Israeli authorities, according to public radio Kan, is that the rebels in their advance, reach the border in the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel.
The newspaper Yediot ahronot He pointed out three main threats to Israel in Syria: the arrival of regime weapons (including chemical weapons) into the hands of the rebels during their advance, the need of the Bashar al-Assad regime for Iranian help at this time and, if the rebels triumph, the conversion of Syria into a failed state that would allow the creation of a strong militia financed by Iran.
An anonymous Israeli official told the newspaper The Times of Israel that the state's hope is that both sides will weaken each other in Syria, since “On one side are the Salafi jihadists (the insurgents) and on the other, Iran and Hezbollah.”
The Israeli security cabinet, which brings together the top security officials from the government and the military, will meet on Saturday evening and Sunday morning to discuss the situation in Syria, local media also reported.
Agencies contributed to this Aurora article.
Israel is not occupying the land of Syria, that land belongs to Israel. It used to be called
Basan.
God gave it to Moses and his people.
Number 21.31-35
God gave that land to the half tribe of Manasseh
Deuteronomy 3.13