|
Trending Topics
|
Israel Prepares for Assad's Return to the Border
(Al-Monitor) Ben Caspit - According to the Israel Defense Forces' assessment, within a number of weeks, the Syrian army will retake most of the border areas on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. A senior Israeli officer told Al-Monitor: "If [Assad] will be a partner to renewing all the existing agreements, we're in favor. But if...he'll try to inject new external agents into the equation, such as Iran and Hizbullah, then he'll find himself facing all the firepower and determination that Israel can muster. We won't let this happen. Syria will not become another Lebanon, Hizbullah won't be replicated, and Iran will not establish long-range rocket launchers on Syrian territory." "With regard to the Golan Heights front...we have the 1974 Separation of Forces agreement with Syria, and we will make sure it is implemented to the last comma. This includes geographical strips to delimit Syria's order of battle and includes enforcement of the obligation not to introduce army forces into the buffer zone. Any Syrian military force that enters this area will be destroyed immediately."