JUST weeks after a temporary pause in the Israel-Iran war through a fragile ceasefire, Israel has attacked Syria, under the pretence of protecting the Druze community. The Israeli attack denotes Israel鈥檚 ambition to expand and perpetuate its war in the Middle East.
Since the inception of the Zionist state, Israeli forces have been continuously unleashing violence and occupation in the Middle East, especially Palestine. Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli Defence Forces have conducted unprecedented violence in Gaza, killing more than 56,000 Palestinian civilians. The destruction of around 80 per cent of the civilian infrastructure in Gaza has left most of the native population homeless. In an appalling move, the IDF has intentionally bombed numerous refugee camps and hospitals to kill children and new-born babies.
Israel has long been attempting to expand the conflict to the whole Middle Eastern region, in its pursuit of the 鈥楪reater Israel鈥� ambition. Over the last few years, Israel has bombed various regional countries, including Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. In a recent move, the Zionist movement has conducted aerial strikes in Syria, under the veneer of protecting the Druze minority group. Soon after Damascus鈥� takeover by Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda member and previously labelled as a terrorist. However, after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad鈥檚 government, the Western governments and media portrayed him as a hero.
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Syria鈥檚 political shift and Western involvement
ISRAELI forces were given a free hand by the newly established Al-Sharaa government to occupy Syrian territory soon after its establishment. Ahmed al-Sharaa also signalled his intention to develop cordial relations with Western nations and accept the Abraham Accords. Many around the world criticized Al-Sharaa for his pro-Western stance and for betraying Gaza. It is widely believed that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham鈥檚 rebellion was backed by the Western nations, especially Israel and the US. The ensuing Israeli invasion of Syrian areas substantiated these claims.
However, Al-Sharaa鈥檚 unwavering flattery of the United States and the Zionist prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not prove sufficient to stop Israel from targeting Damascus. Netanyahu seeks to perpetuate his rule by expanding the war into the whole region. Moreover, Syria is also a part of the proposed 鈥楪reater Israel鈥� region. It would not be fallacious to hold that the West supported a terrorist to overthrow the Assad regime. It sought to install a spineless government in Syria to assist the Zionist state achieve its regional ambitions.
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Israeli strikes in Southern Syria
ON JULY 16, the Israeli military conducted strikes in Damascus under the pretence of protecting the Druze community. It also struck major targets in the Southern Syria region, where intense fighting between Bedoun tribes, Druze community, and Syrian military was ongoing for several days. More than 250 people have been killed during this armed conflict. Using this conflict as an excuse, Israel targeted key military and government infrastructure in Syria. Israel considers the Druze community as its significant regional ally. However, the group remains divided on its alliance with Israel. Many in the Druze community do not want to make any sort of alliance with Israel. Nonetheless, some of the Druze leaders are pro-Israel and are being used by the latter to achieve its regional ambitions.
Israel already occupies the Syrian Golan Heights. It has repeatedly attacked Syrian areas since the collapse of the Assad regime. It saw the recent internal conflict in Syria as an opportunity to materialize its dream of occupying the country. It used pro-Israel Druze leaders like Hikmat al-Hijri to foil all the attempts at a ceasefire. Hikmat al-Hijri rejected Yasser Jarbou鈥檚 announcement of a ceasefire and violated it to provide Israel an opportunity to intervene. Israel itself has rejected all the Syrian efforts for a ceasefire in its previous occupation of the country.
On the other hand, the incumbent interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced that he would not respond to Israel鈥檚 military offensive while denouncing the Israeli attacks. It seems that the Western puppet, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is in a state of shock and wants to perpetuate his rule over the country. However, Israel will never allow him to take control of the country. Moreover, a weak and volatile Syria serves Israel鈥檚 regional ambitions. Tel Aviv has adopted the 鈥榙ivide and rule鈥� policy in Syria. It wants to spread chaos and turmoil around the country, keep the country divided, and minimize the chances of any potential retaliation in the potential future occupation of Syria.
A ceasefire between Israel and Syria has put an end to the Zionist strikes on Damascus. Al-Sharaa claimed he prioritized national stability, stating he placed his people 鈥榓bove chaos and destruction.鈥� The Syrian government has also announced that it will withdraw its troops from the southern region of the country as part of the ceasefire. However, these moves will only embolden Israel to conduct more strikes on Syria in the future. Sooner or later, Israel will again attack Syria and occupy the country as part of its plan to create Greater Israel, and even al-Sharaa鈥檚 flattery of the West would not be able to save him from the Zionist ambitions.
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New Eastern Outlook, July 22. 袗bbas Hashemite is a political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues.
