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Iran Seeks to Create a Direct Front Against Israel from Southern Syria

(JNS) Yaakov Lappin - A new report by Maj. (res.) Tal Beeri of the Alma Research and Education Center exposes efforts by the Iranian-led Shi'ite axis to build civilian support networks throughout southern Syria. Iran views a civilian infrastructure as a foundation for building a military-attack infrastructure against Israel. This effort received a green light from Abu Al-Fadl Al Tabatabai, a personal adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who visited the area in 2018. "The Iranian-led Shi'ite axis sees southern Syria as a strategic area of paramount importance...enabling the creation of a direct Iranian front against Israel from southern Syria," the report said. The civilian foothold begins with creating active links with the local population in order to create a dependence of the population on elements of the Shi'ite axis. This dependence produces sympathy. This sympathy enables the free action of Shi'ite axis elements inside and outside of the local population. The civilian entrenchment efforts are taking place in the Quneitra and Dara'a districts, with some additional efforts underway in the Druze Sweida region, although those activities are running into more local resistance. Beeri spent 20 years as an intelligence officer in the Israel Defense Forces specializing in Lebanon and Syria. He said, "They want to copy the Lebanese model from south Lebanon to southern Syria. The only difference between these two areas is that in south Lebanon, most of the population is Shi'ite - this is the base of Hizbullah. In southern Syria, most of the population is Sunni." But most of the local population is merely interested in survival, and Iran can help them in exchange for their assistance and support for its military activities. The report detailed the civilian services mushrooming in the area under Iranian sponsorship, including health, religion, education and relief agencies. A process of converting local Sunnis to the Shi'ite faith is underway, as well as an effort to resettle the families of Shi'ite militiamen in southern Syria.
2020-12-24 00:00:00
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