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Defense Minister Ya'alon: Syrian Rebels Adjacent to Golan Border Are Moderates

(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said in an interview that Syrian President Bashar Assad now controls only 25% of the country. "It's not Syria, it's Alawistan [referring to Assad's ruling Alawite sect] - the coastal cities in the north of the country and a corridor connecting them up to Damascus....The rebels are already doing away with his control on the border with us on the Golan. The east of the country is controlled by [Islamic State], and in the northeast the Kurds have autonomy." "But the area adjacent to the [Israeli] border is under the control of more moderate militias, such as the Free Syrian Army. It's no secret that they benefit from the humanitarian assistance that we provide to the residents of the villages in the area: medical care in our hospitals, food for infants, equipment and blankets in the winter. That happens on condition that they don't allow the more extremist organizations to reach the border." Ya'alon says the Arabs learned from the 50-day Gaza war that Israel is capable of withstanding a war of attrition. Its spirit doesn't break and its economy doesn't crash. It defends itself and exacts a heavy price from its rivals.
2014-10-15 00:00:00
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