Israeli soldiers stand near the buffer zone fence separating the Israeli-annexed Syrian Golan Heights, near the Druze village of Majdel Chams, Dec. 9, 2024. (Credit: Menahem Kahana/AFP)
For several days, voices across the region have suggested that the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime is part of an Israeli strategy, as Israeli officials celebrate the blow dealt to the ‘axis of resistance’ led by Tehran.This theory is bolstered by the fact that the regime's fall occurred just over 10 days after the cease-fire agreement in Lebanon took effect, as well as by direct threats issued by Benjamin Netanyahu against the Syrian president.In his Nov. 27 speech announcing Israel's approval of the temporary cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, Netanyahu explicitly warned Assad, accusing him of "playing with fire" by allowing Tehran and its militias to use Syria as a strategic rear base. That very evening, the jihadist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and rebel factions launched their long-prepared offensive. Read more After a...
For several days, voices across the region have suggested that the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime is part of an Israeli strategy, as Israeli officials celebrate the blow dealt to the ‘axis of resistance’ led by Tehran.This theory is bolstered by the fact that the regime's fall occurred just over 10 days after the cease-fire agreement in Lebanon took effect, as well as by direct threats issued by Benjamin Netanyahu against the Syrian president.In his Nov. 27 speech announcing Israel's approval of the temporary cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, Netanyahu explicitly warned Assad, accusing him of "playing with fire" by allowing Tehran and its militias to use Syria as a strategic rear base. That very evening, the jihadist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and rebel factions launched their long-prepared offensive. Read more...