The overthrow of Bashar al-Assad has led to a face-off between Turkey and Israel in Syria, where both countries have deployed forces. Relations between Turkey and the Jewish state were already strained over the Gaza war,
The risk of Syria becoming the stage for a direct conflict between Turkey and Israel must be seriously addressed, an Israeli government commission has warned. Turkey could even come to pose a greater threat to Israel via its presence in Syria than Iran did through its alliance with the Bashar al-Assad regime that fell a month ago,
Iran, Syria and General Admits
Israel blew up an Iran sponsored Syrian missile factory after its elite commandos raided it last September. The missiles posed an existential threat to Israel amid its war against Tehran's proxies.
"We see a lot of airflights coming in to Damascus, and a lot of meetings with high officials," says Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Eden Bar Tal during a press conference in Jerusalem as he warns the international community about Syria's new authorities and their change in appearance that "disguise the real essence of this group.
Israel’s continued military operations in Syria, which it said on Sunday are intended to “strengthen the defense of Israel’s citizens,” have drawn accusations from the United Nations and some member states that Israel is violating a decades-long cease-fire by sending its troops within and beyond a buffer zone between the countries.
The cantonization of Israel's northern neighbor would 'ensure the safety of the northern border and allow Israel to actively defend itself against threats from rebel groups'
The presence of Israeli troops who entered a U.N. buffer zone on the border with Syria following the fall of President Bashar Assad is frustrating the local population.
"Many people think the United States saves Israel, but the truth is that today Israel's role is to save the United States from itself," this surprising statement by Dr. Michael Doran, an American expert on the Middle East,
French journalist Sylvain Mercadier has been arrested by Israeli forces in Syria while covering the army's advance in the country. Mercadier, who has written for Middle East Eye, was in the Syrian province of Quneitra where Israeli forces have been seizing additional territory beyond what they already controlled of the Golan Heights.
"Our problem is not with Israel. We don't want to meddle in anything that will threaten Israel's security," Damascus Governor Maher Marwan tells NPR. Syria and Israel have never had diplomatic ties.
The Lebanese parliament finally voted on a new president on Thursday following two years of deadlock. Joseph Aoun the head of the country's armed forces won a majority of the votes.